An effective and efficient router is one that understands the logical topology of the network and is able to communicate with its nearby devices well. The efficiency of the router is vital in a VoIP telecom business as it handles the traffic.

Routing is a very important part of VoIP telephony. In VoIP telephony, routing is a relay process through which data packets are sent from one device to the other. The term ‘routing’ is not confined to VoIP only, other networks such as circuit switching telephone networks and transportation networks (a network of roads, pipes, power lines etc.) also use routing processes to transfer packets and commodities respectively.

Routers

Routers are the devices used in networks for routing has a big role to play. In VoIP, the quality and redundancy of the communication is more or less determined by the efficiency of your router.

Routing Tables

Before trying to understand the way routers work to perform the routing process, it is perhaps best to know about routing table. It is a database that stores the routing information of the router such as logical addresses of other devices and networks. A route can be entered into the routing table manually by a process called static routing or else the router can learn one through a dynamic routing process. The entered or learned route information are stored in the routing table to which the router refers every time it performs a transfer of packet.

How it works

In a network, each device (router) has a logical address assigned to it, including the network itself. This address is what makes the devices and networks identifiable by others (devices and networks) while transferring packets. An effective and efficient router is one that understands the logical topology (the order of devices on a network and the way they communicate with each other) of the network and is able to communicate with its nearby devices well. Therefore, a router learns the network’s logical topology and also handles the movement of traffic. While receiving a packet, a router makes a routing decision based on three factors:

* The protocol in use.
* The address of the destination network that exists in its routing table.
* The interface of the destination network.

Once the decision is made, the router sends out the packet to the appropriate interface of the destination network. In case of a non-existent destination network, the router cancels the transfer and disposes the packet and sends an Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) message to the sender as a notice of the event.

If you are looking to venture into the VoIP telecom business as a VoIP service provider or provide support services for your customers (non telecom businesses), it is imperative that you have a solid infrastructure and state-of-the-art equipment for switching, routing, billing and so on. Such requirements mean a very huge cost that is not practical for many businesses, especially the smaller ones who need the funds to support their own core businesses. A solution in such a situation is to outsource the VoIP switching, routing and billing services to a reliable provider of these services.

VoIP telephony services outsourcing is popular amongst smaller businesses and wholesale as well as retail VoIP service providers. For instance, by partnering with an efficient routing services provider, you can get all the required services yet save the cost of setting up the infrastructure, installing the equipment etc. However, while finding a partner who can provide the services, you must ensure that they offer A-Z routes from which you can choose and also superior network platform, quality ASR, ACD, SIP and PDD with capacity and destinations scalability. A thorough research of the provider and their services will help you decide wisely.