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VOIP - An Alternative Phone Service
by Fawn Rawson
http://www.frphone.com
Imagine enhancing your business image with phone numbers in
New York City, Boston, San Francisco and Dallas. How much
would it lower your phone bill if your college son in in
Chicago could call you in Orlando - using a Chicago phone
number? How about international phone calls to Italy for 3
cents a minute?
The spate of advertising that has given the 'new' tech its
sudden visibility is powered by names like Vonage, Lingo,
Voicewing and CallVantage. Some of these, like AT&T's
CallVantage, are the newest products from standard telephone
companies. Others, like Vonage and Lingo, are new startups
with a quickly growing user base. Vonage, for example,
boasts 1500 new subscribers a month.
In addition, all of them also offer a number of associated
services like 'virtual' phone numbers that let you list a
local phone in nearly any part of the country without the
need to have a local line there. If your mother lives in
Florida, for example, and you live in New York, for as
little as $4.95 a month, you can have a virtual Florida
number that she can use to call you - saving her long
distance charges.
What equipment do I need to take advantage of VoIP phone?
You'll need either a DSL or high-speed cable internet
service and a telephony device - or the 'box'. Vonage
provides you with the box when you sign up for an account
with them. Simply plug your phone and your computer into to
box, and you're ready to go.
That means that if your son is attending college in Atlanta
and you live in Albequerque, New Mexico, you can add a
virtual phone number with an Atlanta exchange for as little
as $4.95 a month. That allows him to make a local call to
reach you, without costing you an arm and a leg in collect
call charges.
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.
Phone number portability also means that wherever you are,
your phone number will be the same. This can be a great boon
when traveling. Wherever you are, you can simply plug in
your box, plug a handset into it and you'll be reachable at
your usual number.
Where can I find out more about VoIP phone service? You can
check the home pages of these VoIP providers: Vonage
(www.vonage.com) At&T CallVantage (www.callvantage.com)
Lingo (www.lingo.com) Verizon Voicewing (www.voicewing.com)
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