Are you familiar with the term VoIP? If not, don’t worry as you are hardly the only one. Many people have never heard of this term even though they probably use the service very often, if not on a daily basis.
VoIP or Voice over IP is the technology that allows you to make calls over the internet. For example, it’s used in Skype, WhatsApp, Messenger, etc. In other words, it’s a phone service delivered through the internet that converts your voice into a digital signal.
The good news is that you don’t need to pay anything as long as you are using your Wi-Fi or cellular data. The bad news is that some countries have it banned. Therefore, you will need the help of a VPN to access it.
Why is VoIP Used?
Before going into the technical part, let’s first go over the reasons why VoIP is such a revolutionary technology. The Voice over IP has many advantages, and these are just a few of the examples:
Cost-effective
How much would an operator charge you if you want to make a call to someone on the other side of the world? These calls are usually very expensive. Besides, the longer the call, the higher your monthly phone bill is going to be. Thanks to the VoIP this no longer has to be an issue. In other words, it’s completely free as long as you stay connected to a Wi-Fi network or cellular data. Of course, it also has its downsides. If you are somewhere and you temporarily don’t have an internet connection, you won’t be able to make a call. At least not for free.
No geo-restrictions
Besides being cost-effective, VoIP knows no geographical limitations. The country or area code is no longer important, nor bound to a specific location. In other words, you can call people no matter where they are at the moment. Unfortunately, some countries have banned VoIP, or at least the apps that use this technology, but we will get to that later.
Mobility
You can use Skype, Viber, Messenger, WhatsApp, or any other app that utilizes this technology, no matter where you are. As long as you have a device that you can connect to, be it a mobile phone, tablet, or a computer, you can make that call. This allows much more mobility than a regular phone call.
Premium security
Did you know that VoIP services cannot be intercepted by third parties? This means that they are much safer and will not allow hackers to get access to your calls, as they are said to be encrypted.
Countries That Have Banned VoIP
As it was already mentioned, some countries have blocked access to VoIP apps. There are many reasons behind this which vary depending on the territory.
Countries that have banned their citizens from using such apps are the following: China, North Korea, Jordan, Oman, Kuwait, Caribbean, Guyana, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, and Mexico.
Even if we disregard this, the above-mentioned territories are known for their bad reputation when it comes to internet freedom. For example, China has created an advanced firewall, allowing the government enhanced control over what the netizens can or cannot see on the internet. It’s called the Great Firewall of China and not many things can bypass it. China, as well as the other mentioned countries, have a history of blocking websites and apps and restricting their users the right to freely browse the web.
Unblocking VoIP Apps with a VPN
When a government blocks a website or an app, people immediately turn to the best solution for these type of situations – a Virtual Private Network.
VPNs are best known for their ability to unblock content, whether it’s a geo-blocked website due to copyright issues or a government-imposed ban. They have a way around such restriction and provide internet users with the complete freedom on the internet. Not only this, but they also keep you protected and in a way anonymous.
In order to bypass blocks in countries with stricter regulations, you will need a more advanced VPN service provider. One that will have the best security and privacy features and can go around these bans without exposing your identity. Unfortunately, it has become rather hard to find such VPNs, but there are still a handful of them that can, in one way or another, serve you just right.
Best VPN for VoIP services – ExpressVPN
It’s fast, reliable, and very secure. ExpressVPN can boast with a lot of features, as its one of the leading providers in the industry. Overall, if you are searching for an all-use type of VPN, this one is the right alternative for you. Read the complete ExpressVPN review from VPNbase to find out more.
Other Benefits of Using VPN with VoIP
Landing on better deals
Although VoIP services are free of charge as long as you have your internet connection on, there are some cases in which you need to pay and a VPN would be a great chance to land better deals. For example, when you use an app to call a mobile number of a person that is perhaps unavailable on the internet at the moment, you will have to pay a certain price. However, these prices differ on your location. If you are based in the UK, you can pay for a Skype subscription of 400 mobile and landline minutes and it will cost you around 6 pounds. For the same offer in the USA, you will need to pay less than 3 pounds.
Additional protection
As mentioned before, VoIP services are said to be very secure thanks to their encryption. However, sometimes even this can’t defend you against hackers with the right knowledge and equipment. When you use a VPN with your VoIP apps, you get double the security and the chances of something like that happening are close to none.
Better connection
VPNs are said to slow down your internet connection. This is not the case with good VPN providers. As a matter of fact, they can help in establishing a better and more stable connection. Namely, when you are using too much data in long calls, Internet Service Providers can throttle your connection making it slower for a better data distribution. With a VPN, your ISP won’t be able to see your traffic, therefore, you will stay protected from bandwidth throttling.
Overall VPNs offer a whole variety of advantages that you can use to your benefit. It’s up to you to make the choice and enjoy endless hours of free, safe, and uninterrupted communication with people from all around the world.
