The telephone is one of the most useful inventions man has ever made. It is something that made the world smaller and it is also something that modern society is continuing to use in businesses and also in homes. Since the telephone was invented, services have since improved and additional phone features are also available, such as three-way calling, or call waiting.

The telephone line is now also being used to connect to the internet. High speed internet connection through DSL is now available in most telephone companies. Today, the telecommunications industry is now taking it one step forward and developed a new kind of telephone system that is starting to gain popularity in today's society. Imagine, with this kind of communication system, you will be able to talk to your loved ones abroad for a fraction of the cost that you will usually get in conventional landline phones. Also, features, such as call waiting, call forwarding, return call, video conferencing capabilities, caller ID and others are integrated with this particular communication system as a standard package, which means that it's entirely free.

Free calls are also integrated with this new kind of phone system. If you are calling someone from halfway around the world, who is also subscribed to the service provider you are subscribed in, the calls will be free. It would be great if you have this kind of phone system. Today, it is now possible because of the advancement in the communications technology and this communication system is called VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol or sometimes referred to as Internet Voice.

The reason why calls are so cheap with VoIP is that it is connected to the internet. As most people know, the internet provides a free and open communication system. Another great thing about VoIP is because the data is transmitted in a digital format in the internet, transmission and reception of voice data is faster and clearer than ever before.

The fact that VoIP has so many benefits, many people are now considering getting rid of their conventional landline phones and getting hooked up with VoIP. As you can see, VoIP is one of the latest solutions in communications technology that will allow people to make much cheaper long distance calls than conventional landline phones.

However, you have to consider that there will sometimes be hiccups in your internet connection. Because of this, it can significantly affect your VoIP phone. It will result in garbled communication or it can result in delays. This is why QoS or Quality of Service is now being integrated into VoIP to provide a solution for garbled communication.

The two main benefits of QoS for VoIP are:

• It protects VoIP on shared media
• It can prioritize VoIP

Bursty data applications will result in lower quality VoIP as well as losing 2 VoIP packets.

You also have to consider that VoIP is sensitive to delays and jitters because of the occasional internet hiccups. With QoS prioritization, it will able to minimize its effects.

QoS can maximize the quality of VoIP by controlling bursts of excess bandwidth and traffic. QoS can avoid congestion of bandwidth thus, making quality better when you use VoIP.