Michael Lemm () -

VoIP phone service providers offer many advantages to the residential and small office/home office user. If you have a high speed internet connection then choosing a VoIP phone service might be right for you.

But before you run out & buy the 1st thing you see....arm yourself with a little education 1st. The benefits must make sense to you or you are just following the crowd.

Lower Monthly Fees

The price of a VoIP phone line is a fraction of the cost of a traditional telephone line, the long distance calls are much less expensive if they are made via a VoIP provider, and applicable taxes are far lower with VoIP phone service than with a traditional phone service. Some VoIP phone service providers offer a phone line for around $9 U.S. dollars per month and will charge you for calls you make at the rate of 1-3 cents per minute depending on the provider. Most VoIP phone providers offer a bundled service offering unlimited incoming calls and unlimited long distance calls to anyone in the U.S. or Canada for one small fee. VoIP unlimited calling plans currently start at $19.95 per month. As with the traditional long distance market trend...expect even this low cost to drop over time as technology and competition matures.

Lower Taxes

So far to date governments have taken a hands off approach when it comes to VoIP phone service providers. Since the calls are being carried over the Internet, governments have not heavily taxed VoIP phone services. Right now the only tax you can expect to see on your VoIP phone service provider's bill is a Federal Excise Tax, which is only 3% of the cost of the service. For example, if you were to choose a $19.95 unlimited calling plan, the Federal Excise tax would be 3% of $19.95, or 60 cents. Your total bill would be $20.55. Compare that to your local telephone bill (go ahead and take a close look) and you will see you are spending quite a bit on taxes each month. Therefore, choosing a VoIP provider could add up to significant savings for you and your family.

Included Features

Most VoIP phone service providers offer features that are included, while most traditional phone companies charge an extra $20 to $30 per month for these. Most VoIP phone providers include the following features in their low monthly fee: Free voicemail, call forwarding, caller ID, call waiting, call waiting ID, 3 way calling, speed dialing and much more.

Flexibility

When you choose a VoIP phone service provider, you will be sent a converter to allow a regular phone to use the VoIP phone service. Your phone number is programmed into the converter. This means that you can take your phone converter and phone number and use them wherever you travel in the world, just as long as you have access to a high-speed Internet connection. Because your telephone number is based in your converter (and not your home/office), you have the option of choosing any area code for your phone number. Some carriers will allow you to have more than 1 phone number in different area codes for a small additional fee (called a virtual phone number). For example, you can have one number in your local area code and another phone number with an area code from another city. By having a virtual phone number in another city where you have a lot of friends and family, you will be saving them money because they can call you on a local number instead of paying for long distance charges to contact you. Both phone numbers will ring your VoIP phone wherever you have your converter and regular phone hooked up to a high speed internet connection.

Draw Backs

Connectivity issues with 911 service is still a concern with some providers. Although much progress is being made rapidly in this area across the board......it's best to find a provider already enabling E911 service.

Despite what urban legends you may "hear" about using a VoIP phone with dial-up internet access....this is still a myth. If you want a quality credible VoIP experience you will need to have high speed internet access (DSL, cable, or satellite).

Your VoIP phone is portable & can be taken with you anywhere in the world. However, it's not quite as unassuming & convenient as many of the newer small cell phones. But then.....cell phone calls home from Europe would be a lot more expensive too.

Hopefully the above info gives you a little knowledge to go on if you are considering a VoIP phone. Just remember to shop & compare and you'll do fine.

About the Author

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications ld.net/mscprez and DS3-Bandwidth.com .......delivering choices to both residential and business consumers for voice and data broadband services. Michael also authors BroadBand Nation http://BroadBand-Nation.blogspot.com where you're always welcome to to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, and ramblings for the masses.

• http://BroadBand-Nation.blogspot.com

Comment #1 Will28 from YesVille, USA -

Thanks for the information! I recently signed up with VOIP through an offer website and so far I like the service. I was interested in the job because I wanted to do some customer service jobs. I notice that the a lot of the customer service jobs prefer a land line. I would never disconnect my land line for a cell phone or internet phone.

Comment #2 Mark Tomin (70.107.83.63) -

It is possible to make VOIP calls from dial up. My friend overseas does it all the time. Quality of calls is about the same as using a phone card, but cheaper. The only drawback is that he can't do anything else on the internet or there won't be enough bandwidth for VOIP and call quality will degrade.

Another point, VOIP can be very portable with Wi-Fi enabled mobile phones. I have one, and as long as there is an open WiFi network, I can make VOIP calls for the regular price.

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• T1 Line Price Quote

Comment #3 john (69.231.149.144) -

Great article Michael. VOIP is a lot cheaper than going with a local telephone company. I just got DSL connection with a cheap and reliable internet provider and they told me about VOIP. I gave in and ordered the service. I am so happy with the service. They also offer other broadband services as well. Please check them out if you want a great deal: www.affordablet3.com

Comment #4 Andrew jones (117.199.164.57) -

It's a well written article.VoIP is really booming these days due to its various facalities.Hemce, we must try it out.

Comment #5 harry wellskin (121.97.203.108) -

"VoIP Phones"

Really great ideas. Later on VoIP will definitely replace traditional telephones. Besides no installation needed, and very affordable cost in making calls both local and international. Lots of providers you can choose of. But be sure it suits your needs especially if you are running small business. Search for myofficephonesystem for the list of VoIP service provider.

Comment #6 ankhkare10 from Illinois - Tue Jul 27 19:14:45 2010

"Hello there"

I just wanna say that I feel different since I started to read your awesome website. I hope you all agree with me and let me tell you that from now on I will start to read it every single day. Keep posting guys.

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