Avoiding Problems with VoIP Termination
VoIP termination is the process of routing phone calls from one provider to the next until the call is delivered (via Voice over Internet Protocol) to the correct recipient. Since this type of call termination transfers voice packets over the Internet rather than the public switched telephone network (PSTN), it allows for much cheaper long-distance and international calls. But despite its benefits, users can sometimes experience issues with VoIP call termination. We’ll review some of the ways that you can avoid problems with VoIP termination and enjoy affordable, quality calls.
Before the arrival of Voice over Internet Protocol, all phone calls were routed through the PSTN, and long-distance and international calls were pricy, to say the least. As a result, most small to medium sized businesses simply couldn’t afford to expand their reach to international markets.
All this changed when VoIP entered the scene. With VoIP call termination, businesses of all sizes can afford to make and receive secure, high quality international calls and connect customers all over the world.
Despite its essential role in today’s business world, there are some potential problems with VoIP call termination. But with a little planning and some insider tips from a reliable VoIP provider, you can easily prevent these issues and enjoy high-quality, affordable international calling.
Troubleshooting Problems with VoIP Termination
Here’s your cheat sheet for avoiding problems with VoIP termination:
Problem #1: Calls aren’t reaching their final destination.
When it comes to VoIP call termination, reliability is often a concern; that’s why the best VoIP service providers pride themselves on a 99.99% uptime guarantee. These providers are able to promise this level of reliability because they offer fully redundant call routing and failover provisioning. (If those terms sound like Greek to you, check out this explanation.)
If your VoIP calls aren’t terminating properly, immediately contact your provider and find out what kind of failover provisions they have in place.
If you are concerned about future outages, you might want to look for an alternate VoIP provider that can offer you emergency Resporg services. In the case of an outage, an alternate Resporg provider will allow you to temporarily move your numbers to their service and use a backup SIP connection to ensure that your calls are going through.
Problem #2: Call quality is poor.
If you’re experiencing poor call quality with VoIP call termination, you’ll want to evaluate your Internet service. Chances are, you don’t have enough bandwidth to support high call quality.
Generally speaking, you’ll need approximately 85 - 100 kbps of bandwidth per concurrent call to ensure high call quality. If you’re not sure what level of Internet service you need, check out this step-by-step guide for calculating how much bandwidth is needed for VoIP.
Problem #3: Call terminates early.
If your VoIP calls are dropping off before you or the called party ends the call, you’re probably dealing with a high level of packet loss.
Packet loss is when one (or more) packets of voice data traveling over the Internet do not reach their destination. In most cases, network congestion is to blame for this problem.
If excessive packet loss is causing your VoIP calls to terminate early, there are a few things you can do:
- Increase the available bandwidth
- Use Quality of Service (QoS) settings to prioritize real-time, voice traffic over all other data
As you can see in the diagram below, the router is receiving traffic from multiple sources; if your QoS settings are configured properly, it will prioritize voice traffic over all other non-time sensitive data.
VoIP termination problems can be easily avoided with a little advanced planning. Before you make the switch to VoIP, make sure that you have adequate bandwidth available and that your provider has safeguards in place, like fully redundant call routing and failover provisions.
