VOIP is an acronym for Voice Over Internet Protocol, or in more common terms phone service over the Internet. If you have a reasonable quality Internet connection you can get phone service delivered through your Internet connection instead of from your local phone company. Some people use VOIP in addition to their traditional phone service, since VOIP service providers usually offer lower rates than traditional phone companies, but sometimes doesn't offer 911 service, phone directory listings, 411 service, or other common phone services. While many VoIP providers offer these services, consistent industry-wide means of offering these are still developing. A way is required to turn analog phone signals into digital signals that can be sent over the Internet.
This function can either be included into the phone itself or in a separate box like an ATA. There are two major reasons to use VOIP : - Lower Cost and Increased functionality