Broadbandblog: A few days back, there was a discussion as to whether Covad’s Line Powered Voice is VoIP or PSTN. But in a short order, there was a general agreement that it is not VoIP. Continue Reading … (My two cents – I deem everything that uses IP to transport voice as Internet Voice. Aswath has done a great job of putting everything in context and perhaps it could be used as a FAQ on what is VoIP from this point forward!)
I somehow ended up talking with a Covad Sales Engineer at Starbucks the other day and he definitely said it’s VOIP. Of course that might just be sales… but he’s “the guy you get when you want more info.”
“I deem everything that uses IP to transport voice as Internet Voice”
By this criterion, many long disance companies are already VoIP providers.
Since VoIP label is used to decide whether a service should be regulated or not and by whom, it becomes critical to define it precisely. Otherwise it doen’t matter. (When the gutter water joins the river it also becomes holy.
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I will be curious to know from the Covad Sales Engineer, how come their press release didn’t mention VoIP once, when others seem to be slapping this label at the drop of a hat.