Event Tech Knowledgebase
Our guide for event organisers and production managers to simplify terminology, detail the pros and cons of different services and provide some example setups for different types of events. Click on the headings for a list of questions and answers or use the search box below.
Voice Communication (4)
The PSTN line has been around for more than 100 years and is still a critical part of communications infrastructure. It is a simple two wire copper cable that carries the voice service and, more often than not, an ADSL broadband or FTTC service. It is reliable, doesn’t require any power, can run over large distances and is simple to connect. With such a huge existing country-wide infrastructure lines can often be installed very quickly.
Installation and monthly costs have been rising though meaning that for multiple lines, other than essential emergency ones, VoIP (Voice over IP) is a much more cost effective solution because it uses the digital network that nearly all event sites now have.
Technically speaking ISDN is a data service rather than voice, being the early digital solution before ADSL. It was for many years though the way of delivering multiple voice connections effectively and is still very popular in the world of radio broadcast. Its popularity stems from the fact it creates an end-to-end connection between, for example, the outside broadcast location and the studio meaning there is very low latency and high reliability. ISDN carries a significant premium in terms of cost above PSTN and is not quite so widely available.
The use of ISDN is falling rapidly due to its cost and the increasing confidence of broadcasters in using newer IP based solutions which run over existing internet connections.
Traditional phone lines use a physical connection which means every phone needs to have a separate wire. With the advent of modern networking VoIP phones can operate over the computer network providing a much more flexible approach to deployment. In addition VoIP call charges are lower than traditional phones providing an opportunity for cost saving. VoIP phones can also provide a wider range of features such as voicemail, caller line identification, call forwarding, call waiting, etc. On an event site the phones connect to the rest of the phone network via an internet gateway which may be connected to most of the forms of internet connectivity.
The Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) such as Vodafone and EE use an entirely separate set of networks for their services compared to Wi-Fi and computer networking. On an event site devices such as mobile phones can use any onsite Wi-Fi for data but not natively for their calls. Some operators are now releasing applications which facilitate this but it depends on the operator and specific contract. The coverage and capacity of the mobile networks on an event site is entirely controlled by the mobile operators and there is no legal way to improve this without their assistance.