This book explores issues posed by convergent voice and data networks, and considers future scenarios as Internet telephony continues to alter the communications landscape.

From the Publisher:

Internet telephony is the integration and convergence of voice and datanetworks, services, and applications. The rapidly developing technology can convertanalog voice input to digital data, send it over available networked channels, andthen convert it back to voice output. Traditional circuit-switching networks such astelephone lines can be used together with packet-switching networks such as theInternet, thereby merging communication modes such as email, voice mail, fax, pager, real-time human speech, and multimedia videoconferencing into a single integratedsystem. Because Internet telephony allows the interchangeable and seamless use ofphones, computers, personal digital assistants, TV cables, wireless, and Webtechnology, myriad combinations become possible.The transformation of the Internetfrom a network application using phone lines to a general communicationsinfrastructure through which voice is but one of many data types offered has a wideimpact on applications, architectures, networks, economics, public policy, industrystructures, regulation, and service providers. This book explores these and otherissues, and considers future scenarios as Internet telephony continues to alter thecommunications 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, JonathanWeinberg.

Tagged: Computer - Internet