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Audio Conferencing Technology 101

Filed under: Conference Calls

By: Matthew Tragna

Audio Conferencing Technology 101

A conference call is a telephone call event in which three or more people are conversing simultaneously. Due to the technological limits of three-way calls, poor sound quality of speakerphones and the extremely high cost of arranging in-person meetings, the conference call industry has become a big business and continues to grow at a steady pace. So how exactly does conference call technology work?



From the Participants Perspective:


Once invited to the conference call (usually by email invitation) each participant dials the same number provided by the conference calling host to connect to their companies' conference. Once dialed in, the participant is connected through a conference bridge which is a server that has the capability of handling multiple calls simultaneously. Available features such as call recording and attendee polling are available depending on the type and sophistication of software the conferencing company is using. Many conference call companies offer an impressive array of conference call features which can be accessed at any time during the conference. Once connected to the conference call bridge, the participant is prompted to enter a passcode for security reasons.

From the Technology Perspective:


Many conference call companies now use Voice over IP (VOIP) technology for its conference call services. VOIP works very similarly to traditional analog telephone conference call services, but the main difference between analog and VOIP technology is how the data moves from one point to another. Analog conference calls use circuit-switching technology where all the participants' connections stay open and constant as long as the call continues, even though only one person is speaking at a time. In contrast, VOIP networks use packet switching where a brief connection opens just long enough to send the packet (which is a small chunk of data) from one system to another. Unlike analog systems which send data traveling from switch to switch, VOIP network data travels across the internet via the most efficient path. This digital technology ensures that the customer will receive the clearest, most reliable conference call service available in the industry.

StarConferencing.com for Audio Conferencing Services

or SaveOnConferences.com for Web Conferencing Services