Tandem-free VoIP conferencing: a bridge to next-generation networks

This article surveys approaches to teleconferencing in voice over IP networks. The considerations for conferencing include perceived quality, scalability, control, and compatibility. Architectures used for conferencing range from centralized bridges to full mesh. Centralized conference bridges used with compressed speech degrade speech quality when multiple talkers are mixed and subjected to tandem coding operations. Full mesh and multicast solutions (mixing at the end-points) are inappropriate when the number of conferees is large. This article discusses a hybrid solution that incorporates tandem-free bridging (the bridge selects and forwards packets) and endpoint mixing.