Emerging Technologies

One of the emerging technologies supported by our PBX is Voice over Internet Protocol. VoIP allows voice and video data to be transmitted over the Internet instead of traditional phone lines. This technology can also be used to allow multiple geographically distant PBX's to establish virtual private phone networks - potentially eliminating the real-world obstacles that have previously imposed such substantial differences between calling the extension phone in the office across the hall, and connecting to someone in an office on the other side of the world. A virtual network of Linux PBXs can expand a private phone system that was previously limited to a single building or suite of offices, into a private global communications network.

When combined with another emerging technology, the virtual private phone networks that are created between multiple Linux PDXs would appear to provide a powerful tool for protecting the privacy of citizens from increasingly aggressive government surveillance. Strongly encrypted IPSec secure tunnels have been supported in Linux for some time. Routing links between PDXs through IPSec tunnels should provide low cost secure voice communications that are effectively unbreakable with current technology.