Internet Phone Service
Use the internet to make calls, toggle between devices, gain in-depth insights in real-time, and enjoy a long list of advanced calling capabilities.
Written by Roman Tobe
Director, Product Marketing
Reviewed by Esther Yoon
VP, Product & Industry Marketing
Updated: 01 October 2024
In the past, you would need different providers for different communication channels: voice calls, fax, PBX, conferencing, and more. This meant dealing with the maintenance and repair of different systems, payment of separate bills, and figuring out how to make standalone communications solutions work with each other.
Good thing a better solution now exists! RingCentral showcases what an internet phone can do for your organization by giving you an easy-to-manage, all-in-one business communications system with all the innovative features you’ll ever need.
From creating a memorable business phone number to finding effective call management solutions, RingCentral has you covered.
What is internet phone service?
A cloud internet phone service, as the name implies, is a phone system rooted in the internet. It allows users to make and receive calls from anywhere using their laptop or mobile device. It provides small businesses and enterprises with the security, mobility, flexibility, and advanced call features that aren’t possible with on-premises phone systems.
How does an internet phone work?
Here’s how internet calling works:
- The voice signals you generate are converted into data packets.
- These packets travel over the network and out through the internet until they reach their destination.
- VoIP converts the packets back into voice signals for the person on the other end to understand the message.
Internet phones can either be actual desk phones that look much like your traditional phones or any VoIP-enabled devices connected to the internet, such as mobile phones, laptops, or tablets.
Industry-leading internet phone service from RingCentral
Improved business communications
Level up communications and collaborations with unlimited VoIP, conferencing, and team messaging. The call routing and call forwarding functions ensure that you do not miss anything, even international calls.
Mobile and flexible internet phone service
Access your phone service from anywhere and on any device. Call, text, and fax using your business phone number from your smartphone instead of using your personal number.
Quick phone service setup and implementation
Get your online phone service up and running in less than a day. Configure and customize system settings from your online account.
Secure business internet phone system
RingCentral secures all your communications during the whole IP transmission journey. All communications go through highly encrypted networks and layers of authentication.
24/7 customer support
RingCentral is there for you from day one, helping you implement your cloud business phone system. You can contact our award-winning support team 24/7 for technical support, consultations, and best practice recommendations.
Best value plans and pricing
RingCentral gives your business an all-inclusive cloud communications system for one affordable price—no hidden or additional costs for advanced phone features. You get a single, itemized bill each month.
Features of RingCentral’s internet phone service
This all-in-one communications solution is able to deliver the following technologies under one platform:
Voice calls
Enjoy nationwide, international, and toll-free calls for your business without worrying about over-the-top bills. What’s more, you can add new phone numbers, devices, offices, and remote teams to scale your business effectively.
Call flip
Transfer calls from one device to another. With call flip, you can switch an ongoing call between a softphone, desk phone, or mobile device in one tap if you’re not in the office. This way, the call continues even if you have to leave abruptly. You can also switch calls to video meetings with one click.
Cloud-hosted PBX
Cloud-hosted PBX helps businesses manage incoming calls through several features: auto-attendant, inbound and outbound caller ID, advanced call routing and forwarding rules as well as call screening, blocking, recording, and waiting. Businesses can even set up different answering rules for different times of the day. For example, all calls during business hours are answered and routed, while calls after hours can be sent straight to voicemail.
Audio and video conference
Conferencing is especially useful for companies with mobile employees or multiple locations. It lets you and your team host and join audio or video meetings from anywhere through their laptops, cell phones, or any mobile devices as long as they have a stable and high-speed internet connection. It can be used to conduct interactive webinars as well.
Team messaging
Team messaging capabilities can also act as a powerful collaboration tool. Aside from its messaging functions, it also serves as a repository of tasks and allows users to create groups and teams for certain projects. But even with its useful functions, it is not a boring tool at all: use it to send emojis and even create your own company memes.
Business app integrations
RingCentral also integrates with the different business apps you use every day. This allows companies to add communication capabilities to their favorite tools like Salesforce, Google for Work, and Office 365, among others. You can even integrate it into your own in-house software using RingCentral APIs.
Virtual extensions
Connect departments and office locations with virtual phone extensions. These extensions are based in the cloud, so you can enjoy flexible features that can be customized according to your specific small business needs.
Internet phone vs. conventional phone
Conventional phone lines
Requires expensive on-premises hardware
Pricey and complex installations
Requires customers to sign long-term contracts
Upgrades and updates require additional costs
Premium technical support is reserved for premium customers
Specialized IT team needed for maintenance
Phone service change requests require lengthy processes
Internet phone lines
Doesn’t need any hardware, ever
Quick and free implementation
No commitments or long-term contracts
Upgrades and updates are always free
Free premium technical support for all customers
Self-manage the phone service from your mobile device
Easily add or repurpose digital lines
Invest in a reliable communications and collaboration solution
The right vendor should be able to assess your business needs and provide solutions accordingly. You don’t want to go to a company whose specialty is residential VoIP and whose list of compatible phones is mostly home phones meant solely for voice communication and with no capacity to handle business phone system must-haves.
With RingCentral, your VoIP phones are so much more than mere communication tools. All the features above are included in one internet phone service, priced under one bill, with no hidden costs, and with package details clearly communicated. That is why RingCentral is trusted by more than 400,000 companies around the world. Here’s what sets RingCentral apart from the competition:
- A unified communications solution – RingCentral has evolved its service from simple business VoIP calling, fax, and cloud PBX to a unified communications solution that meets most, if not all, business communications needs. Aside from a call management system with advanced features like auto-attendant and answering rules, its VoIP services also provide audio and video conferencing capabilities, which are useful for companies with mobile employees and multiple sites. Users also get a full-featured team collaboration tool that lets you create groups, set tasks, and track progress.
- A highly secure and reliable service – RingCentral has Tier 1 geographically dispersed data centers to ensure redundancy. This is to make sure that there are no service disruptions. In addition to this, data transmissions are also heavily encrypted between endpoints of the network to ensure that internet calls or other data passing through the service are safe in transit or while at rest.
- A highly mobile solution – This virtual phone system can be accessed through intuitively designed apps so users can always stay connected to the office wherever they are. Download the right app by choosing from the RingCentral desktop app for PC or Mac or the RingCentral mobile app for either Android or iOS.
- Open APIs and integrations – RingCentral also plays well with other productivity apps. The service easily integrates to popular business apps like Salesforce, Office 365, and Google for Work. Additionally, RingCentral has open APIs that will allow your own developers to integrate digital voice, team messaging, SMS and MMS, and fax into your home-grown key apps and workflows.
Sign up now and learn why RingCentral is trusted by many around the globe.
What you need to know about internet phone service
Unlike PSTN, VoIP doesn’t require a dedicated circuit to maintain a call between two people. This is a major reason why long-distance calls, especially international ones, are so expensive with PSTN. You can just imagine how call costs drain certain businesses dry, like those that house a contact center.
On the other hand, VoIP uses packet-switching technology, wherein data packets (voice signals) take different routes to reach their destination. That only means the cost isn’t based on time or distance. There are no expenses to cover circuit and phone infrastructure.
So if your company makes a ton of long-distance calls, you are bound to generate huge savings with VoIP. That’s money that can be used for other important aspects of the business.
With all the benefits that can be had from a VoIP phone system, one might wonder if the days of traditional phone systems are numbered. Is it only a matter of time before every business will have fully embraced VoIP technology?
Full adoption may take a while, but the future of business communications and connectivity indeed points to packet-switched networks. VoIP continues to change the way businesses communicate and collaborate, and it’s up to you to capitalize on this technology and stay ahead of the competition.
There may be “hurdles” along the way, but you can rest assured that experts are stopping at nothing to refine this technology. For as long as companies like RingCentral are on top of the game, internet calling can only get even more sophisticated and accessible to organizations of any size—startups, small businesses, and enterprises alike.
Monthly fees can go as high as $100 per phone line, depending on the phone carrier. Since landline phones rely on dedicated copper wires, adding more lines requires additional hardware, which in turn means additional costs. That’s $500 in your monthly bill if you have five lines.
On the other hand, the price of internet phone systems goes at a much lower rate. Additionally, because VoIP phone systems rely on the internet instead of public-switched telephone networks or mobile networks, they can support multiple lines, depending on the strength of your internet connection.
There are many other ways internet phone services let you save money. Here are a few more of them:
- Hosted VoIP providers typically don’t require setup fees.
- You don’t need to pay extra for maintenance, repairs, and upgrades.
- VoIP uses the internet, so international and long-distance calls are much cheaper.
- Bringing your own device to work? VoIP supports BYOB initiatives, which means you can use your Samsung or Apple devices to access company platforms.
Talk to a potential vendor about their phone plans and discover lower-priced options that fit your business needs. For instance, if your business requires constant communication with your offices in the USA and Canada, note that there are companies like RingCentral that offer an international calling plan with unlimited calls within the said countries, even Puerto Rico.
The big question of security has been thrown at VoIP technology, especially since it’s started to gain traction. It’s just a reality we have to deal with in this increasingly connected world. The internet, after all, is ever susceptible to various security issues. Let’s take a look at the common ones.
- Service theft - Hackers can gain access to your VoIP service and network through VoIP phones. Once in, they can steal passwords, usernames, and personal information. They use the data they have stolen to perform all sorts of fraudulent acts, such as identity theft, phreaking (stealing of service from the provider or using it and passing the cost to another user), and intentional disruption of service.
- Denial-of-service (DoS) attack - In a DoS attack, your network or device is denied service or connectivity. Hackers choose one target at a time and consume its bandwidth or overwhelm its network until it’s forced to shut down. This is usually done to damage brand reputation, extort money, and, in some cases, just for kicks.
- Call tampering - Here, the hacker targets the communication stream with the intent of degrading call quality, dropping the call, forcing a delay in voice signaling, and other critical issues. This is done by sending a stream of data packets through the PBX network. By intercepting call signals, the hacker can change the encryption key to their own public key, causing further privacy and authentication issues.
- Malware and viruses - VoIP exists within the realm of computer networks and is therefore exposed to the same risks as computers themselves. These include malware, which takes up network bandwidth, and viruses that wreak havoc on software (softphones included) to compromise its performance. A kind of malware that has the capacity to self-propagate is called a worm. It infiltrates your VoIP network, PBX, databases, and other systems to access important data and make your business vulnerable to other attacks.
- Man-in-the-middle attacks - Hackers use sophisticated software tools to mislead customers into thinking they are accessing a genuine server. The attackers position themselves in a conversation between the client and the server in order to intercept or manipulate data. By eavesdropping or impersonating one of the parties, they can collect sensitive information.
- Vishing - If you’ve heard of phishing in email, this is its voice-based equivalent. With vishing, the attacker uses ID spoofing to pretend they are a reputable business (e.g., a government or financial institution) and trick you into giving up sensitive information.
Simply being aware of all these threats should already put you in a prime spot to prevent or combat them. From establishing strict standards in password setting to implementing monitoring systems, there are numerous techniques you can implement to secure your network.
The thing is, as IT experts mitigate one security risk, hackers are able to find other ways to go about it. It almost feels like they are always a step ahead. But this shouldn’t be much of a concern when you get a number from a VoIP provider, as they follow stringent security measures and practices.
RingCentral, for instance, takes pride in providing optimum security with Tier 1 network centers and round-the-clock monitoring to avert any form of attack or disruption. This is a major reason why the company continues to lead the way in business communications solutions globally.
Choose an internet phone service that works according to your needs and budget. Contact the RingCentral sales team today!
We’ll have you up and running in no time