Bandwidth Usage for VoIP

Check your Bandwidth for VoIP.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) connections require a minimum amount of bandwidth in order to function satisfactorily. Bandwidth is the rate at which data can be carried over a network.

Service Providers

There are many service providers offering VoIP services. Yahoo and MSN Messenger offer speech options. These are VoIP. The term is generally applied to Internet telephone companies that offer a subscription service. Each operator has its own bandwidth requirements.

Requirement Variations

Bandwidth requirements increase depending on the quality of service required. A low-quality reception can be achieved with a bandwidth of 30kbps. A high-quality service requires about 90kbps. The number of sessions carried over a line increases bandwidth requirements proportionally. If you want to have two high-quality VoIP lines, you will need 180kbps.

Assessing Capability

There are a number of free sites on the Internet that enable users to test the bandwidth available to them. Other sites offer calculators to enable the user to judge the bandwidth required.

References

• VoIP info: How To Debug and Troubleshoot VOIP

Resources

• Vonage Internet Speed Test
• Bandwidth: VoIP test
• VoIP Calculator