Internet Telephony

Internet telephony is the integration and convergence of voice and data networks,
services, and applications. The rapidly developing technology can convert analog voice input to
digital data, send it over available networked channels, and then convert it back to voice output.
Traditional circuit-switching networks such as telephone lines can be used together with
packet-switching networks such as the Internet, thereby merging communication modes such as email,
voice mail, fax, pager, real-time human speech, and multimedia videoconferencing into a single
integrated system. Because Internet telephony allows the interchangeable and seamless use of phones,
computers, personal digital assistants, TV cables, wireless, and Web technology, myriad combinations
become possible.The transformation of the Internet from a network application using phone lines to a
general communications infrastructure through which voice is but one of many data types offered has
a wide impact on applications, architectures, networks, economics, public policy, industry
structures, regulation, and service providers. This book explores these and other issues, and
considers future scenarios as Internet telephony continues to alter the communications
landscape.Contributors David D. Clark, Daniel Fryxell, William Lehr, Brett Leida, Terrence P.
McGarty, Lee W. McKnight, Philip Mutooni, Husham Sharifi, Marc S. Shuster, Marvin Sirbu, David
Tennenhouse, Kanchana Wanichkorn, Jonathan Weinberg.