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What Is VoIP and How Does It Work?

Phone calls over your internet connection instead of copper lines. How it works for a business.

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) carries phone calls over your internet connection as data instead of over traditional copper phone lines. For a business, it means the phone system lives in the cloud, works on desk phones, computers and mobile apps, and can be managed from a web portal instead of a closet full of equipment.

How it works

Your voice is converted to data, sent over the internet to the VoIP provider, and connected to the public phone network or to the other party's VoIP service. Desk phones plug into your network like computers. Softphone apps turn laptops and mobile phones into extensions. The provider hosts the call routing, voicemail, auto-attendant and reporting.

What you need

  • A reliable internet connection with enough headroom, and a network that prioritizes voice traffic (QoS).
  • Desk phones, headsets or just the apps, depending on how people work.
  • A provider and a plan. Mentis Group deploys RingCentral and Microsoft Teams Phone; see RingCentral vs Microsoft Teams Phone.
  • Your existing numbers, ported over from the old carrier.

What changes for users

The office number rings on a desk phone, a laptop and a mobile app at once. Voicemail arrives as an email with a transcript. Adding a new employee is a few clicks, not a technician visit. Multi-location businesses get one system with one directory.

Common concerns

  • Quality. On a properly configured network, VoIP call quality equals or beats landlines. On a congested or misconfigured one, calls drop. Network readiness is the whole game.
  • Outages. If the internet goes down, calls can fail over to mobile apps on cellular data.
  • 911. VoIP systems must comply with Kari's Law and RAY BAUM's Act. See E911 rules for business phones.
  • Cost. Priced per user per month; see how much business VoIP costs.

For the head-to-head, read VoIP vs landline. Mentis Group provides VoIP services with RingCentral and Microsoft Teams and VoIP support and consulting for businesses across Dallas-Fort Worth; see does Mentis Group provide VoIP.

Have a question about your own environment? Schedule a consultation with Mentis Group or call (866) 901-7808.