Is Verizon FIOS Telephone service VOIP?

[PlatinumGold]

is Verizon FIOS Telephone service technicaly VOIP or not?


i currently have Verizon FIOS Telephone service. Verizons literature calls it POTS, but seriously, sure inside the house, it looks like pots, it smells like pots and it acts like pots. but is it really?


from the phone, the signal goes to a Optical Network Terminal (ONT), this ONT then sends the signal to a gateway at Verizon where the data portions of the signal is sent to the Internet and the Voice portion of the signal is sent to the PSTN.


so, what i'm wondering is, since the addressing of the ONT is on the Network Layer, is it technically VOIP even tho it never goes thru the internet.

 

[Markbnj]

It's not VOIP unless the voice is sent over IP. So it could be some other protocol they are using. Interesting that they call it POTS. From my perspective POTS has less to do with the kind of wire between you and the CO, and more to do with the signalling protocol used to make a connection.

 

[OUCaptain]

It was always my understanding that POTS simply indicated an analog copper pair. We referred to both loop start and ground start as pots. So technically, at the dmark, Verizon is supplying pots line by my understanding.

You are correct though, it's not VOIP, it's VOWPIU (WPIU = whatever protocol is used). Another distinction I think would be what network does the voice traffic end up at, the voice network or data network.

 

[Markbnj]

Originally posted by: OUCaptain
It was always my understanding that POTS simply indicated an analog copper pair. We referred to both loop start and ground start as pots. So technically, at the dmark, Verizon is supplying pots line by my understanding.

You are correct though, it's not VOIP, it's VOWPIU (WPIU = whatever protocol is used). Another distinction I think would be what network does the voice traffic end up at, the voice network or data network.

Interesting. Thanks for the insights. I always thought POTS referred as much to the hook signalling that happened to make a connection.

 

[OUCaptain]

Originally posted by: Markbnj

Originally posted by: OUCaptain
It was always my understanding that POTS simply indicated an analog copper pair. We referred to both loop start and ground start as pots. So technically, at the dmark, Verizon is supplying pots line by my understanding.

You are correct though, it's not VOIP, it's VOWPIU (WPIU = whatever protocol is used). Another distinction I think would be what network does the voice traffic end up at, the voice network or data network.

Interesting. Thanks for the insights. I always thought POTS referred as much to the hook signalling that happened to make a connection.

I guess it really referrs to what ever you consider a Plain Old Telephone Set. Now that I think about it, we didn't consider a channel bank T1 a pots even though it was delivered as an analog pair. So why should Verizon be a POTS. Hmm...I guess this is where it starts getting fuzzy and un-definable. Not to mention not really even worth the effort of debating.

 

[PlatinumGold]

Originally posted by: OUCaptain

Originally posted by: Markbnj

Originally posted by: OUCaptain
It was always my understanding that POTS simply indicated an analog copper pair. We referred to both loop start and ground start as pots. So technically, at the dmark, Verizon is supplying pots line by my understanding.

You are correct though, it's not VOIP, it's VOWPIU (WPIU = whatever protocol is used). Another distinction I think would be what network does the voice traffic end up at, the voice network or data network.

Interesting. Thanks for the insights. I always thought POTS referred as much to the hook signalling that happened to make a connection.

I guess it really referrs to what ever you consider a Plain Old Telephone Set. Now that I think about it, we didn't consider a channel bank T1 a pots even though it was delivered as an analog pair. So why should Verizon be a POTS. Hmm...I guess this is where it starts getting fuzzy and un-definable. Not to mention not really even worth the effort of debating.

so here is my current understanding of it.

it isn't truly VOIP as the transmission doesn't happen on the network layer. however, verizon would eventually like to put all of vios Voice lines ON VOIP because it gives them more bandwidth and will allow them to truly offer video phone etc.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold

Originally posted by: OUCaptain

Originally posted by: Markbnj

Originally posted by: OUCaptain
It was always my understanding that POTS simply indicated an analog copper pair. We referred to both loop start and ground start as pots. So technically, at the dmark, Verizon is supplying pots line by my understanding.

You are correct though, it's not VOIP, it's VOWPIU (WPIU = whatever protocol is used). Another distinction I think would be what network does the voice traffic end up at, the voice network or data network.

Interesting. Thanks for the insights. I always thought POTS referred as much to the hook signalling that happened to make a connection.

I guess it really referrs to what ever you consider a Plain Old Telephone Set. Now that I think about it, we didn't consider a channel bank T1 a pots even though it was delivered as an analog pair. So why should Verizon be a POTS. Hmm...I guess this is where it starts getting fuzzy and un-definable. Not to mention not really even worth the effort of debating.

so here is my current understanding of it.

it isn't truly VOIP as the transmission doesn't happen on the network layer. however, verizon would eventually like to put all of vios Voice lines ON VOIP because it gives them more bandwidth and will allow them to truly offer video phone etc.

Not true.

There are multiple channels/wavelengths (yes, TDM like) on passive optical networks to allow providers the choice between VOIP (and it's associated costs). One of them being voice.

Agreed that they'll want to move to VOIP to utilize those wavelengths for a converged network to the edge. But you'll have to look at the capital costs of doing so (gear).

Remember, the voice has it's own wavelength, it's own channel. Keep paying attention in training.

 

[Xorp]

When I got Fios all Verizon did was hook up the the old telephone box to the ONT.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

it's my understanding that the service is indeed ip based.

 

[drebo]

It wouldn't make sense for them to invest in optical receivers that could understand multiple wavelength optical transmissions at every single home. Now, if they were doing FTTN, as AT&T does with the UVerse, that would be a different story, as the breakout from that is copper anyway.

But FIOS is FTTH and the number of nodes is exponentially higher than FTTN. It's only logical that the voice service would be converted to IP. Hell, with G729, the bandwidth would hardly be noticeable over a FIOS line, and network distribution would be substantially cheaper. Gigabit media converters are sub-$100 devices now, and I can already pull any standard SIP service to two analog phone ports using a $60 Linksys PAP2T.

The added cost of multiple wavelength transmission over that fiber cable just doesn't make sense.

 

[spidey07]

PON uses WDM. That's also why you only get a single strand of fiber to the home. TX and RX are using different wavelengths.

the voice may be converted to VOIP further up the chain, but to the home it isn't. That would drive up the costs of the terminals installed at the home.