Comparing VoFR and VoIP Packet Overhead
The main handicap is the greater packet overhead required by IP. Both FR and IP packets are constructed with packet header information, voice/fax header information, and the digitized, compressed voice and fax information (the payload). Each payload represents a fragment of speech called a ‘talk spurt.’ Representing a long talk spurt requires the VDID (Voice/Data Integration Device) to accumulate the speech information over an extended period of time, and possibly introducing delay into the conversation. Conversations with added delay sound unnatural and cause the corporate telephony user to bypass the VDN (Voice/Data Network), defeating any hoped-for cost savings. This delay-limiting requirement dictates a maximum talk spurt size for voice (and consequently, fax) of 50 bytes at a compressed data rate of 8Kbps (1000 bytes per second, or one byte per millisecond). Fifty bytes represent 50 milliseconds of speech activity, the longest practical period without contributing too much to the