VOIP

VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol)

A technology for transmitting ordinary telephone calls over the Internet using packet-linked routes. Also called IP telephony. (Ericsson)

Voice over Internet Protocol (also called VoIP, IP Telephony, Internet telephony, and Broadband Phone) is the routing of voice conversations over the Internet or through any other IP-based network. The voice data flows over a general-purpose packet-switched network, instead of dedicated legacy circuit-switched telephony transmission lines.

Protocols used to carry voice signals over the IP network are commonly referred to as Voice over IP or VoIP protocols. They may be viewed as commercial realizations of the experimental Network Voice Protocol (1973) invented for the ARPANET.

Voice over IP traffic can be deployed on any IP network, including ones lacking a connection to the rest of the Internet, for instance on a private building-wide LAN.

(Wikipedia)