VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol and refers to technologies that allow multimedia sessions and voice communication over IP networks like the Internet. VoIP uses signaling, encoding, packetization, and transmission to convert analog voice signals into digital data for sending over the Internet. Common examples of VoIP technologies are Skype, FaceTime, and MSN, which enable video and voice calls over the Internet. VoIP can be used publicly for private conversations or privately for business meetings and corporate communications.