Editing Telephony (section)

==IP telephony==
{{main|Voice over IP}}
[[File:Cisco7960G.jpg|thumb|A commercial IP telephone, with keypad, control keys, and screen functions to perform configuration and user features]]
The field of technology available for telephony has broadened with the advent of new communication technologies. Telephony now includes the technologies of Internet services and mobile communication, including video conferencing.

The new technologies based on [[Internet Protocol]] (IP) concepts are often referred to separately as voice over IP (VoIP) telephony, also commonly referred to as IP telephony or Internet telephony. Unlike traditional phone service, IP telephony service is relatively unregulated by government. In the United States, the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) regulates phone-to-phone connections, but says they do not plan to regulate connections between a phone user and an IP telephony service provider.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Microsoft word - 37716 |url=https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-04-97A1.pdf |website=docs.fcc.gov}}</ref>

A specialization of digital telephony, Internet Protocol (IP) telephony involves the application of digital networking technology that was the foundation to the [[Internet]] to create, transmit, and receive telecommunications sessions over [[computer network]]s. Internet telephony is commonly known as [[voice over Internet Protocol]] (VoIP), reflecting the principle, but it has been referred with many other terms. VoIP has proven to be a [[disruptive technology]] that is rapidly replacing traditional telephone infrastructure technologies. As of January 2005, up to 10% of telephone subscribers in [[Japan]] and [[South Korea]] have switched to this digital telephone service. A January 2005 ''[[Newsweek]]'' article suggested that Internet telephony may be "the next big thing".<ref>{{cite web|last=Sheridan |first=Barrett |url=http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6831938/site/newsweek/ |title=Newsweek - National News, World News, Health, Technology, Entertainment and more... - Newsweek.com |publisher=MSNBC |access-date=2010-05-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050118033848/http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6831938/site/newsweek/ |archive-date=January 18, 2005 }}</ref> As of 2006, many VoIP companies offer service to [[consumer]]s and [[business]]es.{{Update inline|date=September 2015}}

A significant advancement in [[mobile telephony]] has been the integration of IP technologies into mobile networks, notably through Voice over LTE ([[VoLTE]]) and Voice over 5G ([[Vo5G]]). These technologies enable voice calls to be transmitted over the same IP-based infrastructure used for data services, offering improved call quality and faster connections compared to traditional circuit-switched networks. VoLTE and Vo5G are becoming the standard for mobile voice communication in many regions, as mobile operators transition to all-IP networks.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Communication services (VoLTE/VoNR) |url=https://www.3gpp.org/technologies/volte-vonr |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=www.3gpp.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=VoLTE Vs Vo5G {{!}} Difference between VoLTE and VoNR |url=https://www.rfwireless-world.com/Terminology/Difference-between-VoLTE-and-VoNR.html |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=www.rfwireless-world.com}}</ref>

IP telephony uses an Internet connection and hardware [[IP phone]]s, analog telephone adapters, or [[softphone]] computer applications to transmit conversations encoded as [[data packet]]s. While one of the most common and cost-effective uses of IP telephony is through connections over [[Wi-Fi hotspot|WiFi hotspots]], it is also employed on private networks and over other types of Internet connections, which may or may not have a direct link to the global telephone network.

[[File:Fixed telephone lines per 100 inhabitants 1997-2007 ITU.png|thumb|300px|Fixed telephone lines per 100 inhabitants (1997–2007)]]