5 Root Causes of Poor IP Call Quality

Poor call quality is a common problem that attends IP networks. This write-up discusses the root causes of IP network related call quality problems and proffers solutions to improve this QoS KPI.

1. The Problem: Jitter

Jitter, as related to IP networks, is the measure of the variability over time of the delay or latency across a network. Jitter is a common problem of the connectionless networks or packet switched networks. Because the information (voice packets) is divided into packets, each packet can travel by a different path from the sender to the receiver. When packets arrive at their intended destination in a different order then they were originally sent, the result is a call with poor or scrambled audio.

1.1.

The Solution: Use Jitter Buffers

A jitter buffer temporarily stores arriving packets in order to minimize delay variations. If packets arrive too late then they are discarded.

2. The Problem: Delay / Latency

IP packet delay is characterized as the amount of time it takes for speech to exit the speakers mouth and reach the listeners ear. Latency, like an echo, is a measure of the roundtrip time. 3 types of delay are common to IP networks: a. Propagation Delay: Light travels through a vacuum at a speed of 186,000 miles per second, and electrons travel through copper or fiber at approximately 125, 000 miles per second. A fiber network stretching halfway around the world (13, 000 miles) induces a one-way delay of about 70 milliseconds (70 ms). Although this delay is almost imperceptible to the human ear, propagation delays in conjunction with handling delays can cause noticeable speech degradation. b. Handling Delay: Handling Delay: Devices that forward the frame through the network cause handling delay. Handling delays can impact traditional phone networks, but these delays are a larger issue in packetized environments. c. Queuing Delay: When packets are held in a queue because of congestion on an outbound interface, the result is queuing delay. Queuing delay occurs when more packets are sent out than the interface can handle at a given interval.

2.1.

The Solution: Prioritize

Prioritizing IP traffic over the network yields latency and jitter improvements. Policy based network Management; bandwidth reservation; Type of Service; Class of Service; and Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) are all widely used techniques for prioritizing IP traffic. A quality IP router can solve many of these issues and will result in business quality IP service.

3. The Problem: Poor Internet Connection

Typically, ISPs are designed for web surfing and not VoIP services. Transporting voice packets is different and requires an additional set of internet protocols that an ISP may not have provisioned.

3.1.

The Solution: Business Class High Speed

Fortunately, most of the ISPs, including cable and DSL high speed, offer business class high speed internet service that is provisioned for acceptable VoIP call quality.

4. The Problem: Inadequate Router

Bad equipment is bad equipment.

4.1.

The Solution: Install a Specialized VoIP Router

This is one of the most common causes of call quality issues. Many small businesses use their internet connection for both voice and data. This is perfectly fine as long as your router has the ability to prioritize VoIP traffic. Without a router that is configured for packet prioritization, call quality can be impacted by the other users on your network. For example, if during a call, another user on your network downloads a large file, without packet prioritization, your call quality could be degraded. A VoIP router prevents this from happening by giving priority to voice traffic on your network. VoIP routers are not an expensive piece of hardware. A VoIP router for a small business ranges from $300.00 for a five person office to under $1,000.00 for a 25-person office.

5. The Problem: Internal Network Improperly Configured

VoIP is less than 10-years old. Many companies do not consider the higher quality demands of VoIP communications. When the routing of both voice and data are done over the same network without properly configuring the network for VoIP traffic, call quality issues are expected.

5.1.

The Solution: Optimized Network Configuration

This is one of the easiest and least expensive problems to correct. A Business VoIP capable router that is properly configured will generally solve the problem.