Telephone Systems - Brief Intro on Concepts & Components

The most modern telephone systems in use all over the world today depend mostly on the availability of the concept in use and the attendant software and components. All of these are now in operations in major corners of the world mostly in business and commerce.

Because of integration, compatibility and the advantages of one from the others have now been equilaterally homogenized and taken advantage of. Depending on budget constraints and other factors (availabilities, phone providers, etc.), these are now all in active service.

Fro new businessmen or those who want to upgrade their system, the general concepts of telephony and communications can help you assess your area’s current phone systems in use.

Circuit-switched networks

In circuit-switched networks (like the PSTN or Public Switch Telephone Network), multiple calls are sent across the same medium. This is a network where there is dedicated connection so two nodes (points) can communicate.

The two types used are analog and digital. The analog was for voice transmission, but today the PSTN had already been transitioned into digital.  In circuit switching, you will have the full circuit, unlike in packet switching. It can, however, be inefficient because bandwidth can be wasted.

(In VoIP using packet switched network, the system shares the bandwidth with all the other applications and is efficient.)

Packet-switched networks

Basically, this divides a data message into packets of smaller units which are then sent out and reassembled at the receiving point. In this type of networks, like the Internet, packets are routed to their destinations in individual nodes on data links shared by other nodes.

With packet-switched networks, data communications is enabled on the Internet. (This is the data counterpart of PSTN) making all data networks widespread.

PBX

This telephone switching acts as the switch in switching calls in telephony or circuit switched network. This device cannot pass IP packets, and have been replaced with IP PBXs.

This system is used by most medium and large-sized companies where users (subscribers) share a certain number of outside lines to enable calls considered external to the PBX.  This is less expensive than having each business user a dedicated external line. Phone sets, fax machines, modems, and other communications devices can be connected to PBX.

Trunk lines (outside lines) are used for making and receiving calls external to the business, like the PSTN. Internal business calls made to external lines are done by dialing 9 or 0 in some systems followed by the number. Internal calls within the same system are switched by the PBX.

An IP PBX supports the IP protocol in connecting phones. They are easier to administer because they use an Internet browser or another IP-based utility.

SIP-enabled PBXs

This system acts as a networking switch in calls in a circuit-switched network or phone system. SIP differs from traditional PBX because it can connect to the Internet and use the SIP protocol in making calls.

VoIP

This Voice over Internet Protocol has hardware and software that enables the tr4ansmission of calls. They are sent in packets using IP instead of traditional circuit transmissions. These days, choices on telephone systems Melbourne are feasible.