# What is RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol)?

> RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol, RFC 3550) is the protocol that carries the actual audio and video media of a VoIP call over IP, usually over UDP. While SIP handles call setup, RTP streams the encoded voice packets with sequence numbers and timestamps so the receiver can reorder them and play them back in time. Its companion RTCP reports on jitter and packet loss; SRTP adds encryption. See /answers/what-is-sip, /answers/what-is-srtp, and /answers/voip-quality.

- Canonical URL: https://www.broadnet.me/answers/what-is-rtp
- Language: en
- Last reviewed: 2026-07-22
- Publisher: BroadNet (https://www.broadnet.me)

## Related

- [All answers](https://www.broadnet.me/answers)
- [Glossary](https://www.broadnet.me/answers)
- [What is SIP (Session Initiation Protocol)?](https://www.broadnet.me/answers/what-is-sip)
- [What is SRTP (Secure RTP)?](https://www.broadnet.me/answers/what-is-srtp)
- [What is jitter in VoIP?](https://www.broadnet.me/answers/what-is-jitter)
- [What determines VoIP call quality?](https://www.broadnet.me/answers/voip-quality)
- [What are voice codecs (G.711, Opus)?](https://www.broadnet.me/answers/what-is-voice-codec)
- [Voice](https://www.broadnet.me/products/voice)