Impact of VoIP codecs on the energy consumption of portable devices

Abstract

In this paper we investigate the influence of the codecs into the energy consumption of VoIP applications. These applications are increasingly extended among users of battery- dependent devices such as laptops, smartphones and tablets. We provide a methodology to compare the energy efficiency of different VoIP codecs for a given device. This allows users and developers to minimize the energy consumption by codec selection, and introduces a new variable into the QoS-bandwidth balance that has traditionally lead the codec selection in VoIP applications. Our results show that the codec can have a significant impact on the energy consumption attributable to the VoIP software of the portable device.