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VOIP Phone Services - A Quick Overview
by Fawn Rawson
http://www.frphone.com
While internet phone has been available for close to ten
years, it's only recently that technology has improved to
the point where it's viable as a real alternative to
traditional ground lines. In the past eight to ten months,
there's been a veritable explosion of VOIP (Voice Over
Internet Protocol) services.
Those are just some of the advantages offered with Vonage
VoIP phone service. VoIP - voice over IP - services are the
latest wrinkle in the phone wars. They save you money by
routing incoming calls to your telephone using your high
speed internet connection.
Vonage isn't the only VoIP service, but it is the most well-
known, thanks to an enormous marketing push. According to a
spokesperson from Vonage, their business is growing at the
rate of 1500 new subscribers a month. Those new subscribers
are enjoying unlimited local and long distance phone service
for as little as $39.95 a month for business service and
$24.95 monthly for residential. Is VoIP phone service a good
choice for you? The answers to a few simple questions can
help you decide.
In addition, with the ability to keep your current phone
number, known as local number portability, you may be able
to keep one phone number for life. That same number
portability opens other options for customers. Want a
virtual phone number in Daytona Beach even though you live
in Oregon? You can do it. Want to list a phone number with a
local exchange in Dallas, Chicago and Seattle? It can be
done.
Whether that level of quality is acceptable to people in
their main phone line in their homes is a matter that
remains to be seen. Already, it's not unusual for people to
eschew a land line altogether and only maintain a cell phone
number in the interests of saving money.
Can I keep my phone number? Usually, the answer is yes. The
same rules that make it possible to keep your cell phone
number wherever you go also make it possible to keep your
existing phone number with a VoIP account. It can take a
while to transfer the number to your VoIP account, though,
and in the meantime, you'll be paying for two phone service
providers.
Can I use my VOiP phone number when I'm traveling? In a
word, yes. You'll have your phone with you wherever you plug
in your 'box', whether it's your living room or a hotel room
in Naples.
However, the technology advances every day. Vonage, the
acknowledged independent leader in the field, reports new
subscribers at the rate of 1500 per month. That sort of
growth sparks further advances nearly every day. Expect that
VOIP will advance at least as quickly as the acceptance of
cell phones as a fact of modern life.
Can I use multiple phone extensions with my VoIP? It's
tricky, but it's doable. The easiest way is to use a
cordless phone with multiple handsets. Again, it's another
area that's being worked on, so expect that to change over
time.
The portability does come with some disadvantages, though.
911 services don't work with all VOIP phone services, for
example. Each service has its own policy, and even those
that do offer 911 availability don't offer the Emergency
Response system that we're used to. If you use your VOIP to
call 911, the operator will not have your location, for
instance.
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