Voice over IP - considerations for a next generation architecture

Voice over IP is on its way to becoming an alternative to the classical telephony system because more and more Voice over IP providers offer their solutions on the Internet and try to increase their clientele. But current voice over IP technology is still in its commercial and technological infancy and has not yet proven to be worldwide accessible, usable and scalable as the classical telephony system has proven in the past 100 years. In this paper, architecture for a next generation Voice over IP model will be outlined and discussed. The main focus lies on interoperability between different Voice over IP providers as well as dependability and robustness.