Despite improvements, quality and reliability of VoIP calls don't match public-network calls, study finds<p>
By Paul Travis
InformationWeek

There's been a great deal of improvement in the quality and reliability
of voice-over-IP calls since the early days when a computer equipped
with a microphone and speakers was connected to another over a dial-up
connection to make calls. The result: a barely audible sound stream
filled with gaps, delays, and distortion. Now, VoIP calls are made from
traditional phones over high-speed Internet connections using services
from hundreds of providers, including some of the nation's largest
phone companies.

Still, VoIP calls have a long way to go before they can match the
quality and reliability of conventional phone calls made over the U.S.
public-switched telephone network, which for more than a century has
set the standard for voice calls.