
A modern PC with a microphone and speaker, or with a headset, or USB phone.To make voice calls via the Internet, a user typically requires the following: Softphones provide a variety of audio codecs, a typical minimum set is G.711 and G.729.
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Some softphones also support the Inter-Asterisk eXchange protocol (IAX), a protocol supported by the open-source software application Asterisk.Ī typical softphone has all standard telephony features (DND, Mute, DTMF, Flash, Hold, Transfer etc.) and often additional features typical for online messaging, such as user presence indication, video, wide-band audio. Skype, a popular service, uses proprietary protocols, and Google Talk leveraged the Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP). Many service providers use the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) standardized by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). To communicate, both end-points must support the same voice-over-IP protocol, and at least one common audio codec. See Comparison of VoIP software Communication protocols A softphone is usually used with a headset connected to the sound card of the PC or with a USB phone. Often, a softphone is designed to behave like a traditional telephone, sometimes appearing as an image of a handset, with a display panel and buttons with which the user can interact. The softphone can be installed on a piece of equipment such as a desktop, mobile device, or other computer and allows the user to place and receive calls without requiring an actual telephone set. JSTOR ( October 2017) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Ī softphone is a software program for making telephone calls over the Internet using a general purpose computer rather than dedicated hardware.Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.

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