Editing Telephony (section)

{{short description|Field of telecommunication services}}

'''Telephony''' ({{IPAc-en|t|ə|ˈ|l|ɛ|f|ə|n|i}} {{respell|tə|LEF|ə-nee}}) is the field of technology involving the development, application, and deployment of [[telecommunications service]]s for the purpose of electronic transmission of voice, [[fax]], or [[data]], between distant parties. The history of telephony is intimately linked to the invention and development of the [[telephone]].

Telephony is commonly referred to as the construction or operation of telephones and telephonic systems and as a system of telecommunications in which telephonic equipment is employed in the transmission of speech or other sound between points, with or without the use of wires.<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/telephony Dictionary.com] Telephony Definition</ref> The term is also used frequently to refer to [[computer hardware]], [[software]], and [[computer network]] systems, that perform functions traditionally performed by telephone equipment. In this context the technology is specifically referred to as Internet telephony, or [[voice over Internet Protocol]] (VoIP).