Definition: The term telephony refers to the technology behind voice communications (typically, telephone networks). Telephony ordinarily involves analog electrical signaling over copper wire.
Newer IP telephony technology converts analog voice into digital data packets to support telecommunication over Internet Protocol networks. So-caled "voice over IP" (VoIP) solutions today support IP telephony.
The deployment of Internet telephony allows both voice and data to share the same networks. The telecommunications industry is moving toward this "convergence" for largely financial reasons. However, traditional telephone networks are extremely reliable, and IP telephony must first achieve a similiar level of capability before it can completely replace older telephony systems.
