VoIP Service Provider

A Proof of VoIP Efficiency

2007-10-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

Then consider Voice over IP (VoIP Service Provider). Today this low-cost IP alternative to traditional wireline telephone service is being sold to large corporations and consumers, but not to SMEs. The reason? Large corporations spend millions of dollars annually on publicly-switched telephone calls. If they can save money by installing their own VoIP corporate voice networks, they are willing to pay to install it. Meanwhile, consumers leave it to third-party vendors to invest in VoIP technology, reaping the benefits by signing up to such services for a low monthly flat rate.

Falling in the middle are SMEs; too small to afford to build their own custom VoIP networks, and too large to ride on the coattails of consumer VoIP offerings. Clearly, there is a market here that is waiting to be tapped, and companies are emerging hoping to tap into this fast growing and lucrative market.

SMEs want and need the same kind of telecom solutions that large corporations enjoy; such as low-cost international calling, fast-access conference tele-hookups, reliable corporate voice communications, and the ability to work collaboratively with other offices online in cyberspace. And those companies able to deliver and then integrate these services at affordable prices will flourish.

VoIP is crucial to making this happen, because it provides the low-cost platform to carry these services economically. This said, VoIP is only the platform: it is the combination of powerful equipment and innovative products that makes Fortune 500-style services targeted to SMEs possible. This is precisely the kind of combination that my company, Telvita, has chosen to offer. Voice solutions are only meaningful if they empower businesses to re-invent their services, as well as improve their customer and vendor relationships etc.

How VoIP works

2007-10-03T19:45:00.000-07:00

If you've never heard of VoIP, get ready to change the way you think about long-distance phone calls. VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is a method for taking analog audio signals, like the kind you hear when you talk on the phone, and turning them into digital data that can be transmitted over the Internet.

How is this useful? VoIP can turn a standard Internet connection into a way to place free phone calls. The practical upshot of this is that by using some of the free VoIP software that is available to make Internet phone calls, you are bypassing the phone company (and its charges) entirely.

VoIP is a revolutionary technology that has the potential to completely rework the world's phone systems. VoIP providers like Vonage have already been around for a little while and are growing steadily. Major carriers like AT&T are already setting up VoIP calling plans in several markets around the United States, and the FCC is looking seriously at the potential ramifications of VoIP service.

Above all else, VoIP is basically a clever "reinvention of the wheel." In this article, we'll explore the principles behind VoIP, its applications and the potential of this emerging technology, which will more than likely one day replace the traditional phone system entirely.

The interesting thing about VoIP is that there is not just one way to place a call. There are three different "flavors" of VoIP service in common use today:

* ATA - The simplest and most common way is through the use of a device called an ATA (analog telephone adaptor). The ATA allows you to connect a standard phone to your computer or your Internet connection for use with VoIP. The ATA is an analog-to-digital converter. It takes the analog signal from your traditional phone and converts it into digital data for transmission over the Internet. Providers like Vonage and AT&T CallVantage are bundling ATAs free with their service. You simply crack the ATA out of the box, plug the cable from your phone that would normally go in the wall socket into the ATA, and you're ready to make VoIP calls. Some ATAs may ship with additional software that is loaded onto the host computer to configure it; but in any case, it is a very straightforward setup.

* IP Phones - These specialized phones look just like normal phones with a handset, cradle and buttons. But instead of having the standard RJ-11 phone connectors, IP phones have an RJ-45 Ethernet connector. IP phones connect directly to your router and have all the hardware and software necessary right onboard to handle the IP call. Wi-Fi phones allow subscribing callers to make VoIP calls from any Wi-Fi hot spot.

* Computer-to-computer - This is certainly the easiest way to use VoIP. You don't even have to pay for long-distance calls. There are several companies offering free or very low-cost software that you can use for this type of VoIP. All you need is the software, a microphone, speakers, a sound card and an Internet connection, preferably a fast one like you would get through a cable or DSL modem. Except for your normal monthly ISP fee, there is usually no charge for computer-to-computer calls, no matter the distance.

If you're interested in trying VoIP, then you should check out some of the free VoIP software available on the Internet. You should be able to download and set it up in about three to five minutes. Get a friend to download the software, too, and you can start tinkering with VoIP to get a feel for how it works.

Fully Integrated VOIP Solutions

2007-10-02T19:49:00.000-07:00

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is quickly becoming the industry standard, due to its enabling of a cost-effective, centralized and consolidated organization. For the contact center, VoIP flattens the infrastructure, removing expensive network charges and making it easy to leverage widely distributed agents and resources at smaller, remote locations. An IP-based contact center allows widespread access to applications while simultaneously reducing the total number of servers across the enterprise.

In spite of these pivotal benefits, concerns regarding the move from traditional circuit-switched to packet-switched network technology still abound. Contact center managers are still wary of the impact on the quality and reliability of their mission-critical applications. With most quality management and liability applications sitting on top of the customer interactions capture platform, the lack of integration could result in potential loss of critical information and a break in service that will negatively impact the center’s ability to perform and deliver—both to the enterprise and the customer.

The VoIP recording solution for contact centers is based on technology that the company invented and patented in 1997. NICE provides the ideal solution for contact centers migrating to VoIP, or already operating in a VoIP environment.

VoIP-enabled precision quality monitoring of remote branches or home agents enables centralized proactive identification and reliable evaluation of the quality of service provided to customers. With advanced tools they can target key calls, correlate them to screen activity, and evaluate how well agents are handling the call process compared to performance parameters, regardless of the agent’s location.

VoIP solutions incorporate market-leading expertise in implementing mission-critical solutions and providing value-added applications for contact centers and trading floors. The offering includes hybrid solutions that cover the entire spectrum of customer needs, combining traditional and VoIP, liability and quality monitoring for contact centers, trading floors and financial back offices. NICE offers software-only, scalable VoIP solutions that span small-scale to large, multi-site high-end environments. The offering is certified by the world’s leading VoIP switch vendors and supports the infrastructure offerings of all major IP and IP-enabled telephone systems.

VoIP recording for the contact center is an integral part of the company’s unified product architecture and suite of solutions. This enables a smooth migration to VoIP that is transparent to the user, providing true investment protection. The software-only solution is highly reliable and provides the best compression and density rates, as well as the industry’s leading interaction analytics tools.

With fully integrated VoIP recording solution, along with the most advanced applications for quality monitoring, liability and interactions analytics, the contact center of today and of the future can benefit from the cost advantages of operating in VoIP environment, while ensuring that reliability concerns are met and that the highest quality of service is provided to customers.

VoIP Service Phones Types

2007-08-05T05:03:00.000-07:00

When shopping around for a VOIP phone, you’ll come across the following buzzwords like: SIP phone, IP phone, and Internet phone.

Do all these terms mean the same thing, or is there a difference? Let’s take a quick look.

VOIP phone or Broadband phone: A handset used to make VOIP calls. A VOIP phone has an Ethernet port (RJ-45) instead of regular phone jack (RJ-12), and they connect directly to a broadband Internet modem. A VOIP phone does not require a computer or softphone application to make or receive calls. A high speed Internet connection is all that is required. A SIP phone is a type of VOIP phone.

SIP Phone: A VOIP handset that complies with the SIP standard for voice over IP. SIP is the latest open standard, succeeding H323 standards. Bottom line, SIP compatibility is good. Phones that compete with SIP use proprietary signaling protocols for voice over IP.

IP phone: An umbrella term but used to mean any phone that can be used on an IP network (like the Internet). An IP phone may comply with either proprietary or open standards for voice signaling. An IP phone doesn't have a RJ-12 connector like regular phones.

Internet phone: This term is used pretty loosely and depending on the context can mean the same as IP phone.

Softphone: A software application that lets you make calls over the Internet using the mouse or keyboard to dial phone numbers. To use a softphone, your computer must have an sound card, plus a speakers or headset and a microphone. A USB phone can take the place of headset and microphone. Softphones are often free to download. Free VOIP software such as Skype and Free World Dialup are two popular choices.

Skype phone: A handset that is much like a USB phone, except that the softphone application used to make the calls is Skype. A Skype phone can only make calls using the proprietary Skype phone software running on your computer. Linksys recently announced the release of its CIT200 wireless Skype handset which makes using Skype convenient from anywhere in the home.

WiFi phone or WLAN phone: A handset used for making wireless VOIP calls. It has a built-in WiFi transceiver unit instead of an Ethernet port. When you talk over WiFi, the phone connects wirelessly to a WiFi base station and from there to the Internet and a remote VoIP server. A computer or softphone is not required to make and receive VoIP phone calls. All that is required is access to a WiFi base station. Many cell phone companies are developing handsets with WiFi capability. This means you can make calls on the regular cell phone network and make VOIP calls on a local WiFi network (called a WiFi hotspot).

USB phone: A handset that connects to the USB port on your computer. It is used for convenience when dialing from your computer, but it requires that a softphone application be installed first. Instead of using the softphone with a headset or microphone, the USB phone looks and acts like a regular phone and keypad. USB phones require driver software to be installed on the computer.

Web phone: A marketing term that has been used to mean many things, both softphone and IP phone-related.

Use VoIP to make cheap Cebu calls

2007-08-05T05:02:00.000-07:00

Cebu, which is the most important city of Philippines after Manila, took to VoIP quite early. The first Cebu VoIP service provider learned how to transmit voice data across the Internet around 2004. This was a major breakthrough for these companies because they found VoIP an economical way to communicate with Filipinos living outside Philippines.

They also found in VoIP a good alternative to long distance calling. Until then, the residents of Cebu were using prepaid cards and dial-around phone lines to communicate with their friends and relatives in the US. In VoIP they found a much more affordable system to communicate.

It was not long before Cebu moved to next generation VoIP. This involved transmitting voice data from PC to phone, from phone to PC and from phone to phone. Each step forward was a great joy for the residents of Cebu. They started subscribing to Cebu companies that were providing VoIP services. The Cebu companies spread out to extend the reach of VoIP to other provinces of Philippines.

The government also stepped in to understand the new technology as it was threatening the existing telecom players. The National Telecommunications Commission, which was set up to examine the subject, in its guidelines issued in September 2005 defined VoIP as "provision of voice communication using Internet Protocol technology instead of traditional circuit switched technology." It also held VoIP to be a value added service.

The Commission has also directed VoIP providers to work out interconnection charges with telecommunications carriers. This is going to bring in more transparency and compatibility between Cebu VoIP companies and telecom majors.

The guidelines are expected to have a major impact on the development of VoIP in Cebu. Already, the Internet caf?owners, who were hesitant to introduce VoIP, have announced their decision to go ahead with it. This will make VoIP based-phone services more accessible in Cebu, and will also drive down costs.

A major beneficiary of this development are the overseas Filipino workers, popularly know as OFW. They can now call their friends and families back home easily. Many Cebu residents also expect VoIP to drive the call centre business. They are hoping that they can move to VoIP technology and cut their communication costs. Currently, their voice traffic moves on conventional telecom lines which charge high rates for international calls.

All this has made the Cebu VoIP companies optimistic about an increase in business.

VOIP Service Systems

2007-08-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

When it comes to Web based applications, few hold more promise than Voice Over IP (VOIP SERVICE). VOIP SERVICE allows businesses and consumers alike to save astronomical amounts of money on their phone bills by routing phone telecommunicative interactions (calls) over the Internet. As great as this technology is though, it does have its disadvantages. Before you blindly invest in a VOIP SERVICE phone system, it is important to understand both the advantages and the disadvantages of VOIP SERVICE.

There are so many advantages to using VOIP SERVICE that I almost don’t even know where to begin. By far the biggest advantage to using VOIP SERVICE is the cost savings. There are a lot of different VOIP SERVICE systems available and the amount of money that you will save really just depends on which system you invest in. Some VOIP SERVICE systems will only allow you to make telecommunicative interactions (calls) to others who are running VOIP SERVICE, while other VOIP SERVICE systems will allow you to call anyone who has a phone. Typically, PC to PC VOIP SERVICE telecommunicative interactions (calls) are free, aside from the initial cost of the software and a possible monthly service fee. PC to phone telecommunicative interactions (calls) typically cost more than PC to PC telecommunicative interactions (calls), but are still usually less than half of the cost of phone to phone telecommunicative interactions (calls). Most VOIP SERVICE providers who support PC to phone telecommunicative interactions (calls) charge a small monthly fee for unlimited telecommunicative interactions (calls) within the United States. A very small premium typically applies to international telecommunicative interactions (calls).

As you can see, the cost of VOIP SERVICE service really just depends on your service provider. The same can be said of the calling features. Most service providers include features such as call forwarding, call waiting, and three way calling with their VOIP SERVICE service. These are far from being the only available features though.

Some VOIP SERVICE services are computer based, meaning that you speak through a microphone that is connected to a computer. Computer based VOIP SERVICE environments tend to be highly collaborative. It is not at all uncommon for a computer based VOIP SERVICE system to be able to transmit video in addition to voice so that you can see and hear the person that you are talking to. Computer based VOIP SERVICE systems often also allow you to share data and / or applications with the person that you are talking to, thus allowing collaboration on a project. Of course there is no reason why these collaborative sessions have to be limited to two people. Most computer based VOIP SERVICE systems support conference calling.

Not all VOIP SERVICE systems require the use of a computer though. Some simply use a digital VOIP SERVICE phone or a VOIP SERVICE adapter that can be used with a regular telephone. There are several advantages to using a VOIP SERVICE phone rather than a computer based VOIP SERVICE application. Probably the biggest advantage is simplicity. Placing a VOIP SERVICE call over a VOIP SERVICE phone is usually no more complicated than placing a normal phone call.

Another advantage is portability. A VOIP SERVICE phone has an address built into it that is unique to your phone. This means that in most cases, you can take your VOIP SERVICE phone with you and use it anywhere that a broadband Internet connection is available. Obviously, there are exceptions, but generally speaking you could take your VOIP SERVICE phone with you on a trip to California even if your service was based in New York.

You don’t necessarily need a VOIP SERVICE phone to get portability. Some providers of computer based VOIP SERVICE services offer a Web interface. This interface allows customers to log in and place telecommunicative interactions (calls) from anywhere in the world, so long as a broadband Internet connection is available. This should be a serious consideration if you have employees that travel a lot and make a lot of telecommunicative interactions (calls) from the road. The service isn’t as convenient as a cell phone, but it is usually a whole lot less expensive and it works in foreign countries where a cell phone may not.

As great as VOIP SERVICE technology is, there are some major disadvantages that you have to consider prior to investing in VOIP SERVICE. The biggest issue plaguing VOIP SERVICE is sound quality. Don’t get me wrong though, with sufficient bandwidth and good equipment, it is possible to get fairly good sound quality from a VOIP SERVICE system. In real world conditions though, there are no guarantees that the sound quality will be acceptable.

There are a couple of different reasons for the sound quality issue. The first reason has to do with the way that VOIP SERVICE works. As I mentioned earlier, VOIP SERVICE stands for Voice Over IP. To see how this can be a problem, think about how an IP network works in regards to transmitting data. When a file needs to be sent over an IP network from point A to point B, the file is broken up into a series of packets. The packets are transmitted in a sequential order, but because of the distributed nature of the Internet, the packets may arrive at their destination in order, or they may be out of order. Normally, this isn’t a problem because the recipient is able to use the packet’s sequence number to figure out what order the packets go in, and reassemble the data.

VOIP SERVICE converts voice into digital data, which is then placed into packets and transmitted over the internet. As with any other type of data, these packets may or may not be in the correct order when the recipient receives them. The recipient’s VOIP SERVICE system can reassemble the packets regardless of what order they arrive in. However, the real time nature of voice conversations means that if the packets arrive out of order, then it could result in a second or two of silence while the data is reassembled.

As you can see, latency issues can cause some major issues for VOIP SERVICE systems. Data must be able to travel to the recipient quickly enough that it can be reassembled before anyone notices a significant delay. Since a lack of available bandwidth can cause such problems for VOIP SERVICE systems, VOIP SERVICE manufacturers have taken steps to reduce bandwidth requirements. Specifically, bandwidth requirements have been reduced through the use of various compression algorithms. However, these compression algorithms have caused some problems of their own.

One problem is compatibility. When it comes to PC to PC VOIP SERVICE telecommunicative interactions (calls), there is no one universal standard. Some VOIP SERVICE systems are proprietary in nature, and will only allow telecommunicative interactions (calls) to others who are using the same software.

Another problem with compression is that compression (and decompression) consumes extra processing power. Furthermore, compressing the data tends to further degrade sound quality. Some compression algorithms have actually been known to cause problems with echoes. These echoes can be filtered out, but doing so requires even more processing power. Compressing and filtering data is more of an issue for computer based VOIP SERVICE than for VOIP SERVICE phones. VOIP SERVICE phones handle the necessary compression and / or filtering at the hardware level. The advantage of this is that you never have to think about how much processing power your VOIP SERVICE phone has, but it does mean that a VOIP SERVICE phone can be more expensive than a regular phone.

Aside from the various sound quality issues, there are also a few practicality issues that you need to consider. For example, if you are considering a computer based VOIP SERVICE system, then you must remember that you will not be able to place or receive telecommunicative interactions (calls) unless the computer is turned on, and the VOIP SERVICE software is running.

Another practicality issue is that unlike a traditional phone, a VOIP SERVICE system (computer or VOIP SERVICE phone based) is useless during a power outage. A traditional phone can function even during a power outage because the phone company transmits electricity over the phone line. This electricity is used to power the phone (cordless phones being the exception). That way, even if the power goes out, the phone will usually still work because the phone’s power is coming from a different source.

VOIP SERVICE works completely differently though. A VOIP SERVICE phone (or a computer based VOIP SERVICE system) requires external power to function. Furthermore, a VOIP SERVICE system also requires the Internet to be available. Therefore, if you lose power, or if you lose Internet connectivity, VOIP SERVICE will not work.

One last issue that I want to mention is that the 911 service does not work properly over a VOIP SERVICE phone system. Normally, when you dial 911, the phone company looks at either your phone number (if you are using a land line) or the cell tower that you are communicating through, and uses that information to put you in contact with the nearest 911 dispatcher. With VOIP SERVICE systems however, the caller’s location cannot be determined through traditional means. As such, dialing 911 from a VOIP SERVICE system won’t likely put you in contact with a local 911 dispatcher.

I have recently read about an experimental program which may eventually allow VOIP SERVICE telecommunicative interactions (calls) to be routed to the correct 911 dispatcher. The concept works by looking at the caller’s IP address. The reason that this is possible is because IP addresses are distributed based on geographic area.

Grandstream Budgetone 102 VoIP Service Phone

2007-08-05T04:58:00.000-07:00

The Grandstream 102 VoIP Service Provider phone is an award-winning IP network phone, based on innovative, next generation technology. The phone offers amazing voice clarity, is feature-rich and very economical.

In fact, the Grandstream Budgetone 102 is one of the lowest priced VoIP Service phones available and is an ideal first phone for a small business or a home user.

The Grandstream 102 is manufactured by Grandstream Networks, Inc., a private company based in Massachusetts, USA. Incorporated in 2002, Grandstream Networks is a leading designer and manufacturer of innovative and highly affordable IP telephone products for broadband IP networks. Grandstream uses leading-edge technology to design high quality IP telephones, at a fraction of the cost of competing products.

The Grandstream Budgetone 102 is a SIP-based VoIP Service phone. It features a 12-digit caller ID LCD display, menu navigation and speakerphone. It enables you to dial an IP address directly. You can use a cat 5 cable, to plug your Grandstream Budgetone 102 directly into your router, or switch. A wireless VoIP Service system is also an option.

The Grandstream Budgetone is a large phone with big dialing number buttons. It is very light and has many advanced features. While you are making a VoIP Service call, you cannot hear your own voice. This takes a little getting used to.

Once you have registered your phone with your SIP provider, a square indicator on the top left hand side of the screen will confirm if the phone has been registered properly. A blinking indicator means that something is wrong and if you don't see an indicator, it means that you are not registered.

To make a call, just pick up the phone and dial a number. You can also access the list of numbers you dialed, or from which you received calls earlier. You have the option of transferring a call, putting a call on hold, or muting the microphone. The Grandstream Budgetone 102 has a message waiting light, which flashes when you have a message waiting.

The phone is good value for the money and has little competition in its price category. It sells online for around $70. It comes with a CAT V cable, which is to be used with the in-built switch and power supply. It offers you downloadable musical ringing tones, music on hold and a built-in alarm clock. The Grandstream range includes the 100 and the 101, which offer fewer feature and the 102-D, which offers as 16-digit display.

VoIP tremendous savings

2007-05-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

Perhaps your legacy private branch exchange telephone phone system is getting a little cranky. Your customers dial you up and get a busy signal. Calls get dropped. Voice mail never works. If you get a sales call from a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) vendor, it's worth listening to the pitch, but be sure to ask a lot of questions.

A transition to VoIP service provider can offer tremendous savings to small and medium-sized businesses, and companies can also leverage the technology's growing list of features to make their employees more productive and mobile.

VoIP service enables voice telephone calls to work over your high-speed Internet connection. A VoIP service provider utilizes the same IP network as your Internet service. Hardware adapters connect a standard telephone to the high-speed Internet connection to create a VoIP phone.
VoIP Service Provider Internet Compatibility
Most VoIP services work only with DSL or cable modem Internet. If you subscribe to dial-up, satellite or wireless broadband, these telephone services will likely not work in your household.

Connect VoIP line easily!

2007-05-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

How easy is it to connect a VoIP line?

I was actually surprised at how easy it was to connect and configure my VoIP line. Typical VoIP Service Provider interface boxes have four connections to be made: power source, one CAT5 cable to your internet modem, a second CAT5 cable to either your computer or router, and one regular RJ45 line to your telephone. There are variations in this setup, so make sure to read the instructions that come with the VoIP Service interface box. The whole connection process shouldn't take more than a few minutes at most. Remember that once you have the system set up then you'll need to login to the VoIP Service Provider's page to register your interface device before it will work properly. Note that some VoIP Service Providers will wait until the device is registered before assigning you a telephone number.

How did I choose my VoIP service provider?

Selecting a VoIP Service Provider is like choosing a cell phone service provider -- you need to do your research first by visiting VoIP service providers' web sites and learning about the service they offer and the fees involved. Talking to friends is also very important since they will likely be more than happy to share their thoughts on their current VoIP Service Provider. Another option to consider is to call potential VoIP Service Providers and to ask them to tell you about their product, service fees, number portability, and so on. Customer service is very important to me and therefore if a VoIP Service Provider can't answer your questions about their product they you really shouldn't be considering them for service since this could be an indication of problems to come!

I finally had my landline number "ported" in late January 2006, so now I'm exclusively on a VoIP Service Provider connection. When the port occurred, I had to do a little re-wiring in the basement to disconnect the incoming landline wires and route the VoIP wires into the existing phone wiring in the house. This was fairly easy and maybe took 5 minutes.

Be careful when making decision on VoIP Service Provider

2007-03-23T17:22:00.000-07:00

This article is meant for all of you interested in either using VoIP service provider or establishing partnership. VoIP – Voice over Internet Protocol - transforms voice calls into packets of data, sends the data over computer networks, and translates it back into voice at the receiving end of the call. From its roots as a free service that allowed only computer-to-computer calls, VoIP service provider has matured into a stable, mainstream solution appropriate for businesses and consumers. VoIP service provider offers a wide variety of benefits.

VoIP service provider allows you to use the Internet to call any regular phone, anywhere in the world. Right now, nearly any VoIP service provider is consumer-based, with dedicated VoIP service providers like Skype and Vonage being joined by telcos AT&T, Verizon, and Qwest in offering VoIP services as a replacement for home telephone service.

However, with VoIP service levels improving, more big-name companies getting into the act, VoIP service provider is beginning to focus more on businesses. Curreently VoIP service provider provides all the features of a PBX, including auto-attendant, forwarding, conference bridges, and extension dialing - without requiring you to purchase a PBX. Getting these features without the hardware cost of a traditional phone system is great for small businesses, and when combined with the free or low-cost long distance fees, it means that VoIP service provider is becoming more attractive as a business solution.

When investigating VoIP service provider, don’t take chances on unlicensed or unauthorized vendors. Authorization comes from hardware manufacturers, and means that the VoIP service provider has passed competency exams and committed to ethical practices.

Choosing a VoIP Service Provider (complete check list)

2006-05-07T14:46:00.000-07:00

You have likely heard of Voice Over Internet Protocol phones by now, commonly called VoIP Service or Internet phones. VoIP Service has been around for many years, but in the past few months the service quality and number of VoIP service provider has greatly increased.
After trying my first VoIP phone in 2003, I was sold on the idea that you no longer needed a wired telephone landline to make calls. VoIP Service opens up all sorts of new possibilities and conveniences that are just not possible with wired landlines these days.
VoIP is definitely not an alternative to a cell phone and I suspect that many people in North America will continue to rely on their "landline" phones for years to come, despite marketing attempts by wireless service providers to drop their "landlines". No VoIP service provider truly offers a plan that is the same as a landline service, nor are you able to pick and choose your long distance service provider with a cell phone plan. Both cell phone and landline plans are often sold on airtime (or usually unlimited airtime on landlines), but extra features like call waiting, call display, or voice mail are charged extra. Now with VoIP Service all the extras are included and the price might be a lot more reasonable, but there are other issues that you need to know about before making the switch.

What is VoIP?

A VoIP phone uses an existing high speed internet connection (Cable, ADSL, office LAN, etc) to make phone calls over the internet. You use a regular telephone, but instead of your voice being carried over a landline wired connection, your voice is digitized by a VoIP interface and then is sent over the internet. The caller on the other end could be on a regular landline, cellular phone, or even another VoIP connection. In most cases the other caller will not be able to tell that you are using a VoIP Service Provider connection.

Where is VoIP available?

If you have a high speed internet connection, then you can have a VoIP phone. There are many VoIP Service Providers in both the US and Canada that are now offering VoIP Service.

What equipment do you need?

Signing up with a VoIP Service Provider is just like signing up with a landline service provider or a cellular provider. They sell you a monthly service, but first they must provide you with some equipment to use their service. Landline service provider likely install wires into your residence and cellular phone providers sell you either a phone or a SIM card. VoIP Service provider will give, rent, or sell you an interface box that you then plug in both a regular landline phone and a high speed internet connection. Beyond the interface box, you'll obviously need a stable high speed internet connection - dial up internet service will not work with VoIP Service. Your current Internet Service Provider (ISP) must allow provide you with at least 2 IP addresses since your VoIP phone will need one address all to itself; the second IP address would be used by your computer.

What plans are offered by VoIP service providers?

Like cell phone plans, VoIP plans vary greatly between service providers. Features offered by plans vary, but expect some or all of these in a typical VoIP monthly plan:

Call Display (with or without name)
Call Waiting
Conference Call (3-5 way calling)
Web Interface Portal
Unlimited North American Long Distance
Fax-to-Email
Virtual Number
White Page Listing
Free calling between VoIP subscribers using the same service provider
Repeat Dialing
Do Not Disturb
Call Return
Speed Dialing
Voice Mail
Call Forwarding

Almost any VoIP Service Provider offers either a set amount of outgoing airtime per month (incoming calls are usually free) or an unlimited airtime plan. Many VoIP service providers also offer business plans that require higher amounts of airtime.

Can I choose my long distance provider on VoIP?

Like cellular phone service providers, the answer is no. Your VoIP Service Provider will also be your long distance provider. The positive news is that your VoIP Service Provider will likely offer FREE long distance anywhere in Canada and the US under your service plan. Some of the cheaper plans with some VoIP Service Providers may limit your long distance to one province or state, so make sure to check before signing up.
Because you don't have the choice for long distance with VoIP, it is important that you consider your long distance usage prior to signing up. This includes any international calls you might make or calls to locations that are often excluded in "North American" plans (usually this means Alaska, Hawaii, Yukon, Northwest, and Nunavut territories). Like regular landline long distance, rates vary greatly between VoIP Service Providers. Most VoIP service provider websites have links where you can see their rates.

Can I take my VoIP service with me?

Because all you need is the interface box and a high speed internet connection, you can take your VoIP service anywhere in the world. For example, you travel to Italy for two months and plug your VoIP service into a high speed internet connection there. You now have a telephone line that you can make and receive calls on, just like you did at home - same number, same long distance and everything. Callers to your number would not even know that you are overseas!
This feature also means that you can have a local number in another city and callers will not know where you are physically based. For example, a business VoIP line could have a number in Toronto, but the phone is physically located in Calgary.

What about 911 services?

Because your VoIP is not physically tied to an address, 911 services could be an issue since a 911 call would not be routed correctly. Recently VoIP Service Providers have been addressing this issue and now many VoIP Service Providers allow you to set (and change) the physical location of your VoIP service. If a 911 call was made from your VoIP line then the physical location on the VoIP file would transfer your call to your local 911 office.

There are two major drawbacks with VoIP that any user should be aware of. If either your internet connection or your power goes down then you do not have a phone. This is unlike landlines that may work both independently of your internet connection and will usually continue to work even during a power outage. My recommendation would be to ensure that you have a cell phone available if either your internet connection or power goes down.