FoIP allows for free fax transmission over the internet, eliminating long distance fees. It splits data into digital packets and requires less bandwidth than traditional transmissions. FoIP is related to VoIP and can be used on mobile phones.
FoIP is the acronym for Fax over Internet Protocol. In short, using FoIP allows you to send a FAX transmission without paying a dime.
Traditionally, a fax transmission resembles a phone call in that a number is dialed. The difference between a fax and a telephone call, however, is that a fax transmits data electronically, while a telephone call only transmits conversations. However, when you send a fax, you are still dialing a number. And if you make long distance calls, you pay a long distance fee.
FoIP changes this by eliminating long distance charging. In particular, you send the fax data using an Internet connection as a telephone. Since all you need is that internet connection, you only pay what you would normally pay to access the internet. Even if you have a dial-up Internet connection, you still only need to call a local phone number to connect. It doesn’t matter how many pages you send in your fax transmission or how many megabytes your fax is, you still pay nothing.
Technically, FoIP differs from traditional fax transmissions in one other way. Traditional fax machines convert data on a sheet of paper into analog voice data for transmission over the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Keeping with the acronym, the PSTN service is often referred to as POTS, which stands for Plain Old Telephone Service. FoIP splits the data in a fax transmission into separate data packets which are sent digitally. This is another example of digital technology replacing older analog protocols.
Another benefit of using FoIP technology is that it requires less bandwidth than traditional analog transmissions. As a result, the transmission takes less time. A large handful of websites, such as eFax and RapidFax, offer FoIP services. Some of these sites offer the service as part of a suite of office applications; others make FoIP their stock and trade.
Fax over Internet Protocol is a cousin of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). This way of speaking is all the rage these days. Companies like Skype attribute their entire existence to VoIP technology. You can even buy a mobile phone now that comes with Skype pre-installed. And with cell phones becoming more capable of browsing the web, you can use your cell phone to send a fax using, you guessed it, Fax over Internet Protocol.
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