Due to the recent improvements with VoIP technology, a question that is now asked on a daily basis is “how fast does my broadband connection need to be so that i can use a VoIP service”
As a basic rule of thumb we recommend using the following table to work out how many concurrent calls your broadband connection can handle using a standard voice quality codec, something worth noting is that broadband connection speeds can and do vary throughout the day so it is worth running a few speed tests to measure your broadband’s throughput.
| Number of Concurrent Calls | Min Bandwidth Requirements | Recccomended Broadband Speed |
| 1 | 100kbps Up and Down | 3Mbps Up and Down |
| 3 | 300kbps Up and Down | 3Mbps Up and Down |
| 5 | 500kbps Up and Down | 5Mbps Up and Down |
| 10 | 1Mbps Up and Down | 5-10Mbps Up and Down |
| 20 | 2Mbps Up and Down | 10-20Mbps Up and Down |
VoIP services can use a variety of codecs to compress and decompress your voice data, this allows it to travel over the internet efficiently. The most commonly used voice codec is G729, this codec offers a normal voice quality that you would experience with a traditional phone line. If you have a faster broadband connection you can use a G711 codec, this offers you ISDN grade voice clarity and is currently one of the best codecs to use for voice.
As we mentioned earlier in the post, you will need to work out how much bandwidth you have on an average day, the best way to do this would be to run a multiple speed tests throughout the day using www.speedtest.net that way you can work out your average throughput.
Your ISP will tend to tell you what your “up to” speed is, something like, we expect to see a connection with up to 30mbps. You will notice that your download speed will be higher than your upload speed, this is due to the fact that we consume more data from the web as opposed to uploading data.
Now with you results from your speed test you will have an average download and upload speed from your broadband connection. You can use the above table to work out the amount of concurrent calls that your circuit can handle but remember to use the lower figure (usually the upload speed)
Some routers have the ability to prioritise voice traffic, this will allow your router to notice that you are sending out voice data and will give it “right of way” and let it jump the queue meaning that your voice is sent over the internet to its intended recipient quickly and without delay. We can provide you with all of the information that you require to have this set up on your router (if compatible)
RJ Cortel can offer you a data connection with all of the above information already in place, this assured circuit will have voice prioritisation and Quality of service already set up so it will be a simple case of plug and play… Can you start benefiting from VoIP telephony on our hosted platform and start saving on call charges?
If this is something that interests you or you would like to discuss then please leave a comment below or you can contact us directly.
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