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Integrating Analog and Internet Phones For Quality Conference Calls
A white-paper, by Rebecca Hanson

Since 1997, Telephone Bridge Services has provided our community of friends and businesses with the highest quality bridges available. Quality is the essence of our business. Quality is the touchstone of our decision making.

Over the years, we have grown accustomed to experiencing the high quality connection of analog telephones on an analog-based conference bridge. However, since 2006 we have wrestled with the issues presented by the rise in popularity of Internet-based "phones" such as Skype, VoIP, cable and digital voice communication.

At first we hoped the Internet phone was a fad that would run out of steam and go away. That hasn't happened. Instead, companies which were once noted for their high-quality products, are now offering an inferior product to their customers without full disclosure of the problems they will encounter. Here are two real-life examples:

Example # 1:
Recently we received an email from a potential customer telling us:

"I tried about six times to participate in the conference call held at 5 pm today. Consistenly I was told that the pin number was invalid. That I was pressing the correct pin code, so I gave up."

When asked if she was using an Internet-based phone, she replied: "No, I use Time Warner."

A quick glance at the Time Warner website reveals they are offering "cable, internet, digital phones."

We wrote back to this customer, "This is an internet-based phone. The signals sent through the internet were incompatible with the conference call bridge."

And we lost the customer.

Example #2:
Even a one-to-one conversation with a person using an Internet-based phone can present challenges.

During a recent conversation with a potential customer, we noticed their words were being truncated. Syllables were being dropped or interrupted. Suspecting an Internet-based connection on their end, we asked the customer if they were standing close to their computer.

"Why, yes, I am," he replied. "How did you know?"

Once I explained the difference between my "land-line" phone and his digital phone, he shut down his computer, thus allowing more "bandwidth" for the phone and we were able to complete our conversation with relative ease.

Why are the Internet-based phones incompatible with analog phones on the conference call bridge? The methods of delivering signals (voice) are entirely different:

An analog telephone delivers a steady narrow bandwidth electrical signal.

The Internet-based phone delivers electrical signals over a broad bandwidth in packets or bursts of energy (mini-explosions.)
Click here for more detail.

When holding a conference call for 25 people you may have only one or two people dialling in on an Internet-based phone, but the signals (electrical explosions) sent from their phone to the bridge are disruptive to the quality of the bridge experience.

Everyone in the conference call industry is faced with the issue of how to provide the best quality bridge experience while accommodating BOTH analog and Internet-based phone customer. Makers of conference call bridges are experimenting with various filters, routers and electrical modifiers in the hope of delivering a more continuous flow to the bridge.

The bottom line is that today we can offer our Internet-based phone customers the opportunity to access the conference call bridge, but we must manage the disruption their phones cause by placing the entire audience on "mute" and delivering a less interactive call. Click here for detailed instructions for managing the "Skype-VoIP Friendly Bridge."

Our commitment to excellence motivates us to continuously seek even better solutions, so you may continue to enjoy the freedom and convenience of conferencing via the bridge!

Rebecca Hanson is the owner of TeleClass International Services Inc. and Telephone Bridge Services since 1997. She can be reached through email at: Rebecca@TelephoneBridgeServices.com or by phone at:

Toll Free: 866.472.1949 (from N. America)
RH: 250.472.1947 (local and international)

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