What is VoIP in Nebraska?

What are VoIP and Internet Calls?

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) in Nebraska refers to any telecommunications service carried out through an IP network like the internet or a local area network. According to the latest report from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), there are over 645,000 VoIP subscriptions in Nebraska as of June 2021.

VoIP and Internet calls are phone calls made from one person to another over the internet. Although VoIP and internet calls are used interchangeably, VoIP has more functions beyond making phone calls. With VoIP, users can also send and receive instant messages, share files, and make and receive video calls.

How Do VoIP and Internet Calls Compare to Landline and Cell Phone Calls?

Phone calls are primarily made using a landline, a cell phone, or a VoIP-enabled device. These methods of making phone calls share the same basic principle of transmitting soundwaves from a caller to a receiver. However, they differ in the exact method that they use to transmit these soundwaves:

• Transmission via electrical energy: This method is used for phone calls made with landlines. Here, the landline phone converts the caller’s voice into electrical energy and transmits this energy along copper wires and through telephone exchanges until it gets to the receiver.
• Transmission via electrical signals and radio waves: This method of transmission is used by cell phones. Here, the cell phone converts the caller’s voice into electrical signals and beams these signals via radio waves to a nearby mast and a local base station. The base station then routes the radio waves to the receiver.
• Transmission via digital signals and data packets: This is the transmission method used by VoIP-enabled devices. Here, the device converts the caller’s voice into digital signals carried across the internet in data packets until they get to the receiver.

VoIP-enabled devices are a relatively new method of making phone calls when compared to landlines and cell phones. However, calls made from these devices have some advantages:

• Calls can be made from different types of devices, including PCs and smartphones, unlike landline and cell phone calls that can only be made from specific devices;
• Calls made with VoIP-enabled devices are cheaper than other types of calls;
• Calling is not limited to a particular location. With VoIP-enabled devices, phone calls can be made anywhere as long as there is a working internet connection. On the other hand, landline calls can only be made in places with a landline phone, while cell phone calls can only be made in areas covered by a particular cell provider. A bonus to this advantage is that calls made through VoIP-enabled devices in areas that have a strong internet connection generally sound sharper and clearer;
• VoIP-enabled devices have more telecommunication features when compared to landlines and cell phones. Examples of this are the video calling and multimedia messaging features that are readily available on VoIP enable devices.

While they are assigned differently, it is possible to identify callers using landline, mobile, and VoIP numbers with reverse phone lookup services.

Does Nebraska Regulate VoIP Providers?

The Nebraska Public Service Commission is the state agency charged with regulating the telecommunications industry’s affairs in Nebraska. According to Nebraska Revised Statutes Chapter 86-124, this agency is not empowered to regulate activities related to VoIP, except in certain situations. These situations include, but are not limited to:

• The enforcement of laws concerning consumer protection;
• The administration of the state’s Telecommunications Universal Service Fund as stipulated by Section 86-324 of the Nebraska Revised Statutes;
• The administration of the state’s Enhanced Wireless 911 Services Act as stipulated by Sections 86-442 to 86-470 of the Nebraska Revised Statutes.

What Do You Need for VoIP and Internet Calls?

Making a VoIP and internet call requires an internet connection. This can be gotten by subscribing to a high-speed data service. Internet connections can also be gotten via Wi-Fi modems and routers, local area networks, and Ethernet cables and modems.

The next requirement is an appropriate VoIP-enabled device. One of the advantages of VoIP and internet calls is its versatility, which allows users to make calls from a variety of devices like:

• Regular landline phones that have been fitted with an analog telephone adapter (ATA): This analog telephone adapter allows the landline phone to make internet calls by converting its analog electric signals into digital signals.
• Specialized phones, also known as IP phones: These types of phones were designed specifically for VoIP and internet call purposes.
• Personal Computers with VoIP enabling software installed in them: Some computers may also have to be fitted with soundcards, microphones, and speakers, or headsets.
• Smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices that have a VoIP enabling app installed in them

Are VoIP Numbers Different from Regular Phone Numbers?

Telephone numbers in the United States are ten-digit numbers issued according to the North American Numbering Plan. According to this plan, VoIP providers that wish to issue numbers are required to get authorization from the FCC.

There are some differences between VoIP phone numbers and regular cell phone and landline numbers:

• A single VoIP phone number can be used simultaneously on different devices. This is not possible with regular cell phone and landline numbers.
• VoIP phone numbers are not issued to devices like cell phone and landline numbers. Instead, they are assigned to users. This allows the phone number to be used in any location that has an internet connection.

Can You Make Free Internet Calls?

Nebraskans that have an active internet subscription or a working internet connection can make free calls over the internet with a VoIP-enabled device like a PC or a smartphone by utilizing any of these methods:

• App to Phone through software programs like TextNow: This method is used to make free internet calls from VoIP-enabled devices to regular landlines or cell phones. Note that the software must be installed on the device that is used to make the call.
• App to App through software programs like Zoom, Skype, Viber, and WhatsApp: This method is used to make free internet calls between two VoIP-enabled mobile devices, and both devices must have the same software installed in them.
• PC to Phone through software like Google Voice: This method is used to make free internet calls from a VoIP-enabled PC to a landline or cell phone with the software installed.
• PC to PC through software like Skype, Zoom, and Google Voice: This method is used to make free internet calls between two or more VoIP-enabled PCs, and these PC’s must have the same software installed in them.