Voice conferencing is another term for conference call, which is a telephone call where more than one called party can listen in or participate in the call.

How does it work?

Conference calls using Voice over IP (VoIP) and traditional analog telephone lines work the same way. The only difference lies on how the data moves from one end of the line to the other parties participating in the call. For VoIP calls, callers connect to a conference bridge, a server that allows multiple people to talk to one another.

By contrast, in traditional telephone systems, calls are routed to a series of interconnected switches until they reach the conference bridge. The conference bridge then connects multiple calls to one another. If all of the callers are located in the same office building, calls connect to the bridge through the private branch exchange (PBX), which is a miniature phone network within the office.

The SolidPBX™ appliance can act as a conference bridge for either VoIP and analog calls, provided in the latter the call passes through an FXO gateway. Click here to learn more about SolidPBX™ or request a free trial.

Usage & Benefits

Voice conferencing is largely used in/for:

• Business
• Party Line
• Flat Rate Conferencing
• Prepaid conference calls
• Free conference calling
• Premium conferencing

Its benefits and advantages include reduced travel costs, more collaboration, and higher productivity in a more cost-effective way; ease of use; security wherein conference access is protected through the use of unique participant PINs and passwords; and flexibility.

SOURCES: Wikipedia, HowStuffWorks