Session Initiation Protocol or SIP refers specifically to a language
that various computers can communicate to one another in so that they
can complete voice calls. It has become vitally important in
recent years as it plays a central role in VoIP or Voice Over Internet
Protocol. VoIP Is the rapidly growing technology which has
millions of Americans throwing out their local and long-distance
telephone bills and replacing them with free calls made over the
internet.
While Session Initiation Protocol sounds like technobabble, it helps if
you can imagine SIP as the common language that new generation
operators use to complete calls over the internet. With SIP, however,
the operators are no longer hundreds of people in a room somewhere
connecting one call to another but simply your computer device
connecting to the telephone or computer device of the person you want
to talk to. The fact that there is no need for real operators, or
even a central board to complete calls through, explains part of why
SIP is so revolutionary.
SIP was intended to give ordinary callers like you and me all the
familiar functions and features of what we expect from a phone call,
such as a dial tone, a ringing sound, etc. So while all the
communication from our end seemed exactly the same as before, SIP makes
phone calls by communicating directly with the other person’s telephone
device. Unlike traditional telephony, which was based on a cog
and wheel approach in which the call you placed goes through a central
location and then is routed to the person you are trying to call, SIP
is based on internet protocol. This means that there is no need
for a central cog to run calls through, but rather calls can be made
directly from person to person.
The fact that the technology is based on internet protocol (IP) rather
than a traditional cog and wheel also means that placing and receiving
calls are no longer inhibited by location. To conceive of this
more easily it is best to think of something like your e-mail.
You can take your laptop and access your e-mail from your home, just as
easily as you can plug that laptop into the internet at access your
e-mail from anywhere. In the same way, you can plug your SIP
phone into any access point in the internet and call a person who can
be located anywhere in the world. Similarly you can receive phone
calls from anywhere in the world no matter where you are, simply be
plugging your SIP phone into the internet.
As you can probably imagine, this ability has some pretty remarkable
applications. For companies or businessmen that work out of the
office, moving your office phone number is as simple as picking up the
phone and carrying it with you. There is nothing else to
it. For those often staying in hotels for travel or business,
this means always having the direct office line with you wherever and
whenever you want. No need to forward calls or even to ever pay
for long distance or hotel phone access again!
The SIP technology is already revolutionizing the way in which humans
communicate. In recent years, literally millions of Americans
have tossed aside their traditional land based phone lines and opted
for the freedom and cheapness of VoIP. Empowered with SIP
technology it is uniquely able to provide you with virtually free
calling, anywhere in the world, anytime in the world, without having to
forward calls, change your number, or rely on others to check important
messages. It is truly a technology for the future of business as
well as the future of communication.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
