We live in an interconnected world, and staying in touch with others around the globe has become more critical than ever. There has been an increase in the number of people who can work from anywhere in the world post-pandemic. Many employees realized that “work from home” could mean “work from anywhere” and chose their lifestyles and locations accordingly. This means that being able to communicate internationally is a significant requirement of daily life for many now.
Economic migration in search of better opportunities has also seen growth in recent years, and contact with family and friends back home is essential. International communication has effectively become the backbone of many people’s lifestyles now.
Evolution of International Calling
International calling used to be very expensive in the days before the Internet. Most countries had some variant of a calling card to make calls to other countries. They were costly, and the calls were often terrible quality and frequently dropped.
Since the advent of the Internet and the improved satellite technology that was put in place to support it, it has been much easier to make international calls. The price has also decreased drastically, making regular calling much easier and more cost-effective.
Much of this was due to the adoption of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, which we will look at in more detail below.
VoIP and Internet-Based Solutions
Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a way of calling via the Internet rather than traditional phone lines. Rather than the signal being transmitted over analogue phone lines, the signal is entirely made up of data.
This means there is far better quality on the calls, and fewer calls are dropped. It also means that the cost of the call is far less because internet data isn’t paid for by the end-user based on the geographical location they are communicating with.
It is the same price to contact a website in the USA as it is to access one in the UK, and this is the best way to understand the cost savings brought about by VoIP. It costs the same to call Argentina as it costs to call Canada over VoIP with data.
Many businesses have installed VoIP phone systems rather than traditional phone lines, which can work out cheaper in terms of call costs vs data. They are known for providing crystal clear calls compared to traditional phone lines, though the advantage is most significant when calling another VoIP-enabled line.
Two of the most famous programs that use VoIP are Skype and Zoom.
Mobile Solutions
Most of the mobile solutions on the market today, including the popular BOSS Revolution app, work with the Internet. They use data to ensure their calls are high-quality and lack the occasional pops and crackles on traditional calls. If you and the person you call have the app, then the call is free for both of you.
This can be a revelation, whether using an international calling app to make calls from Australia or calling home from anywhere in the world. Making free calls, whether for work or leisure, can be a significant boon to most people and makes the world seem smaller and closer. Many relationships are sustained on long-distance calls, whether business or personal.
Cloud-Based Solutions
Cloud-based calls also use VoIP internet telephony technology but are routed through secure data centers. Cloud-based solutions tend to be more secure as they use dedicated data centers, and their reliability is good due to the number of servers typically used at the data centers. This means there should be an increase in call quality and a reduction in noise artifacts.
The downside is that they are entirely based on Internet data, and any calls will drop if the Internet goes down. Mobile apps can typically use cellular data if this happens to avoid interrupting a call, but this isn’t generally available with cloud-based solutions on computers.
Trends and Emerging Technologies
Artificial Intelligence – This emerging technology is being used in call centers to work out how to optimize calling time most efficiently. The AI can optimize dialing so that there is always a caller on the line for the next available agent.
5G Technology – The global introduction of 5G is having an impact on the quality of calls by offering a higher throughput of data and reducing internet delays. These are sometimes known as latency or lag. 5G can potentially be ten times faster than the previous iteration of the technology called 4G. This represents a step-change in the quality of calling.
Satellite Internet – Innovation in the area of Satellite Internet in recent years has increased the standard expected of it. This had previously been widely regarded as a ”poor relation” when it came to mobile and internet provision, with high costs and low rewards. Recent innovation with StarLink has made this one of the most exciting areas of innovation in the years to come.
Security Measures – The safeguarding of internet data and calls is vital to the success of the industry and consumer confidence. Many organizations encourage the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) to ensure that the best security possible is in place for calls.
Compliance Challenges – As with most new technologies, there can be difficulties meeting regulatory requirements when countries have different legal systems and jurisdictions. Problems can include call recording and data retention laws, which companies in this sector should look closely at.
Conclusion
We have gone from an entirely analogue system to one based on internet data, dramatically improving the quality and cost of calls. It has brought with it new challenges as well, but these are manageable.
It is an exciting time to be involved in international calling, and the opportunities have never been better for consumers or businesses. The innovations we see now will shape and influence international communications for decades. The challenges in terms of compliance and security can be met and overcome.
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