May 28 2008
What is POTS?
If you are reading this article thinking that we’ll discuss cookware or the latest Rachel Ray recipe, you’ve come to the wrong place. At VoIP Tech Chat our mission is simple — we’re here to chat about VoIP. Think of it as Coffee Talk, without the coffee or infatuation with Barbara.
Sometimes, to discuss VoIP, we must discuss what VoIP is not — in this case, VoIP is not POTS.
POTS is the common nickname and acronym for Plain Old Telephone Service - you know, the “traditional” phone jack in your wall. The POTS system uses technology that is basically unchanged since the early 1900’s. The wires may be upgraded, sure there’s more features, but the telephone technology in use via POTS is essentially the same technology introduced before there were airplanes, highways, or even household refrigerators.
Background, aka Trivial Knowledge that Patrick would call Interesting
The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell, who along with Thomas Edison, created a method of transferring voice over long distance through the use of connecting wires. Basically, one telephone would be physically connected to another.
As VoIP enthusiasts, we’re often forgetful that not everyone speaks in acronyms. So in today’s post, we would like to introduce you to Voice over Internet Protocol’s Quality of Service — or, VoIP QoS.
