VoIP: FUD and MOS Redux

By David Byrd

In the original blog from 2010, VoIP was under attack by traditional carriers as suffering from poor quality and reliability. That is no longer the case. In fact, as I increased my U-verse bandwidth recently, the sales person spoke very well of the AT&T VoIP service. If I was not an employee of a VoIP provider, I might have been an eager convert. So FUD, or the use of Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt, is no longer an impediment to the growth of VoIP and SIP trunks. However, questioning the voice quality of VoIP seems to still have legs.

Using something called the Mean Opinion Score (MOS), we are able to determine with a measure of accuracy voice quality over varying connectivity methods. To establish an MOS, listeners (in the case of the study I am quoting 30 to 50 people) listen to speakers of both sexes read specific sentences. Each listener then rates each sentence as follows: (1) bad; (2) poor; (3) fair; (4) good; (5) excellent. The arithmetic mean of the individual scores is the MOS. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) endorses this testing method. Here are some of the suggested sentences:

On a scale of 1-5 where 5 is excellent, VoIP with a G.711 codec and a long-distance toll call come out equal, with 4.4 each. Even the G.729a codec beats a cell phone call with 4.2 versus 3.8.

Software tools have been developed that automate MOS testing. These tools do a better job of evaluating network conditions and codecs more consistently than human listeners.

So, inform your prospects and customers that VoIP/SIP Trunking is as good as your current phone service and with Broadvox and other ITSPs, you can save up to 70 percent.

David Byrd is vice president of marketing and sales for

Broadvox
, and is responsible for marketing and channel sales programs to SMBs, enterprises and carriers as well as defining the product offering. Prior to joining Broadvox, David was the vice president of Channels and Alliances for Eftia and Telcordia. As director of eBusiness Development with i2 Technologies, he developed major partnerships with many of the leaders in Internet eCommerce and supply chain management. As CEO of Planet Hollywood Online he was a pioneer in using early Internet technologies to build a branded entertainment and eCommerce website company partnered with Planet Hollywood. Having over 20 years of telecom sales and marketing experience, he has held executive positions with Hewlett-Packard, Sprint and Ericsson.