What are the Different Types of Telephone Systems?

Thanks for this great post! The technology has really brought about many changes, but most of them I think are great, especially for business operators.

One of the worst jobs I ever had was operating a PBX telephone system! I was working in a large store, in sales, but for some reason the department manager figured I could stand in for the switchboard operator.

They did give me a very brief training session, then I was let loose on the phones. It was a nightmare, with lines flashing, people to connect to others, messages to be taken. I messed up big time when I cut off a call between the managing director and someone important, three times!

@MissMuffet - I agree the VoIP option would be an advantage to you, but there are several reasons why it is impractical, except perhaps as a small business telephone system.

The basic needs of a company requires things like transferring calls, call waiting, several lines available to call and so on. One line in just isn't going to be attractive.

Another issue is that VoIP services generally don't allow for emergency calls to be made. This may not matter in many cases, but it could be important to some people.

Two more potential problems are quality and security. With VoIP calls it's much harder to guarantee a clear and crisp connection. Add to that concerns about eavesdroppers and hackers and you can see why it scares people off.

Perhaps as technology advances some of these issues will be addressed. Until then I think you're unlikely to find many businesses wanting to switch over from their commercial telephone systems.

@everetra - Yes, the industry is plugging into the cell phone standard. Panasonic telephone systems are taking a lead here, if their press is to be believed. They provide headsets that link directly to cell phone systems. The headsets can be stationed around your home just as if they were regular cordless phones.

You use them to call through your cell phone without actually having the cell phone on hand at all times. It’s like turning your cell phone into a phone server to send and receive calls.

@Charred - You know we’ve come a long way with telephone systems when people and the industry refer to POTS services as “landlines.” That basically means that cell phones have dominated the mass market to the point where they have become the new standard, whereas landlines are an anachronism to the days of Alexander Graham Bell.

There are many households nowadays that don’t even have landlines; they use cell phones for their entire communications needs because of their mobility and affordability.

When VOIP technology was first vying for mass appeal, its first target was small business. PBX telephone systems nowadays almost exclusively use VOIP.

We use VOIP at work for our internal phone systems, and for good reason; it’s extremely cheap, and since the business-to-business calls (in this case in house) are as local as you can get, we experience no delay or any of the other problems associated with VOIP in the past. The big telecoms now are pushing VOIP for businesses more than they do for residential, for these very reasons.

I'd be lost without a VoIP system, which gives me free calls to others using it. I wish that more business telephone systems would add this program though. I know I can make cheaper calls to them using credit, but it would be even better if it was totally free!

I've been puzzling over the meaning of 3G for a while, after I saw it referred to in a computer ad. Thanks for the clear explanation of it in context.

The major changes that have taken place in the field of telephones is pretty amazing really. I can hardly imagine how people managed without cell phones.