What Is VOIP?

This technology brings the Internet and the phone together, a marriage bound to happen. The acronym VOIP means voice over Internet protocol and is a service provided by various telecommunication firms including: Vonage, Voice Pulse, Dial Pad and net2phone.

How Big Is the VOIP Industry ?

According to a Sandvine press release, there are over 1100 voice over IP providers in the world today and the growth rate is impressive. Mr. David Caputo said, "There is one company starting per day." Sandvine is a company based in Waterloo, Ontario Canada. They manufacture very high and broadband equipment for large companies.

Why Is Voice Over IP Growing in Leaps and Bounds?

In most workplaces, people have had to put up with:

• Complex hard to decipher long-distance phone bills
• Exorbitantly high long distance phone rates
• Dealing with long-distance providers who lacks accountability

In order for businesses to reach more customers in a diverse geographic population -- voice over IP provides a very cost-effective solution. I run a bird tour sightseeing company andI haveclients as far away as Singapore. Many of my clients travel halfway around the world for a two-week all-inclusive bird watching vacation. Since I was tired of paying such high long-distance phone bills, I decided to do some investigation and compared three different voice over IP providers. They are Vonage, VoicePulse and Net2phone. Overseas calls are not factored into these plans. The charges for international calls change per country and plan provider. With the old long-distance provider, I was paying as high as $3.30 per minute to call Singapore. With Vonage, calls to Europe and Asia are as low as three cents per minute.

  Vonage ( Best Buy ) VoicePulse ( Best Buy) Net2Phone Basic, included features voicemail, call forwarding, call waiting, call transfer, caller ID, 3 way Calling, call return, caller ID block, repeat dailing, int'l call block Caller ID w/name, caller ID block, int'l call block, telemarketer block, call waiting, call transfer, line unavailable call forward, call return, 3 way Calling, voicemail, speed dialing, distinctive ring, web based account mgmt, voicemail, call waiting, caller ID, call return, redial,speed dial, 3-way calling, call forwarding, call blocking, remote feature mgmt Pricing ( basic ) $24.99 USD per month for unlimited local and long distance calling in US(including Puerto Rico & Canada) $24.99 USD per month for unlimited local and long distance calling in US $29.99 USD per month for unlimited local and long distance calling in US(including Puerto Rico & Canada) Does 911 Work Yes, Only VOIP that offers 911 no Yes Local Number Portability Yes, Most, but not all, people can keep their number if they are in one of the biggest markets in US Yes, Most, but not all, people can keep their number if they are in one of the 48 continental states. Local Number Portability may not be availabe in all areas Yes, Most, but not all. Keep your current phone number with VoiceLine Where can you buy it? Buy it from the web Buy it from the web Buy it from the web Installation Simple, connect router to cable modem or switch Simple, connect router to cable modem or switch. 1 sheet instruction step by step guide included Phone and adapter is combined so set-up is easy Network Open Internet - Network Availability Number is free Open Internet - Network Availability Number is free Open Internet Sound quality Very good consistent Exceptional sound quality, Good, sometimes flaky Nomadic Yes, take the device anywhere and link to a high speed connection Yes, take the device anywhere and link to a high speed connection Yes Local & Long distance directory assistance 411, for just 99 cents, you can any listing in the US, Canada or Puerto Rico 411, for just 75 cents, If the number you choose when signing up for VoiceLine includes emergency (911) services, it will also include access to 411 service, for just 99 cents PER call. Other For $9.99 per month, you can get the Vonage SoftPhone for your laptop and get 500 local and long distance minutes You may cancel the service within 30 days of service activation and receive a full refund Service activation fee is $29.99

Vonage and VoicePulse are well position for several reasons. I needed to contact tech support for Vonage. I used the e-mail support to be quick -- I received an e-mail back with a 30 minutes. Is not uncommon for me to be on hold for over an hour and a half waiting to speak to tech support with my old long-distance service provider. I'm happy to report that I prefer a web-based e-mail support over live-support.

Will VOIP Replace My Business Landline ?

No, it's a cost-saving technology for sure. Just as atest, I made a call to a client in Arizona who comes up as often as four times a year to take my bird sightseeing tour. I was on my VOIP phone with my client for over 45 minutes discussing her traveling arrangements. Every so often, the voice quality would fade and get choppy. Luckily, I have never experienced a drop call using VOIP. It would be highly unprofessional and embarrassing. I found the connection indistinguishable from my Bell landline for the majority of the time. For new clientswho I make a call to, I make a point to use my landline. However, for many of my regular customers, they put up with the occasional flaky reception.

Hardware

What I liked like about the Vonage box is that it's like my computer Internet router. All the unused ports were automatically blocked and the one I used assigned its own subnet mask - all without having to call any technician to set it up for me.

One annoyance you may or may not have experienced, when a second call would come through on my Vonage VOIP phone, I would have to yell repeatedly to the first caller that I am putting them on hold. I found continuingthe 1stcaller to be a bit of a challenge when I had to deal with the call waiting feature.

What I like about VOIP is that I can use the service with a cordless, wireless or landline phone. I didn't have to go to Costco and by five brand-new phones for my entire staff to get everything to work.

How Does VOIP Work?

The call on the Internet turns into a voice signal, which is patched to your caller regional telephone network. Don't make voice over IP to be a forced fit. Some companies find it easier working with VOIP equipment than others. In fact, VOIP has its place for those of us who make a lot of long-distance calls domestically and overseas. Simply put, compare your current VOIP bill of $24.99 US against your old long-distance phone bill. My domestic long-distance bills averaged $850 to $1500 a month depending if it was bird migration season. Now, I get unlimited domestic long-distance coast-to-coast including Puerto Rico and Canada for only $24.99 at Vonage. I'm delighted with the savings! Below are some guidelines to help you make the transition more smoothly to voice over IP:

• Not everyone will opt for the coast-to-coast unlimited rate, if you have a smaller voice over IP calling plan, watch you don't go over your allowed 500 minutes per month. Otherwise, your overage charges can really add up.
• Figure out how many people in your office needs access a VOIP phone. Be prepared to spend $500 or more on telephone equipment. You will need to connect each VOIP phone to the ports on the BACK of the VOIP router.
• If you don't choose Vonage, VoicePulse or Net 2 Phone and would like the emergency 911 service; make sure the provider that you do business with complies with the Federal telecommunications agency.
• If you are a new VOIP customer read the fine print. In fact, at VoicePulse you can try their service out for 30 days. If you are not happy with them while you are within your 30 day period, you can cancel and get a full refund. See if you can opt out of signing a long-term contract and instead sign up for a month-to-month service.
• Have you heard of Skype? Please visit, to the www.Skype.com for those who are bit timid and would like to try voice over IP for free.

If you travel frequently to other big major cities, bring your VOIP equipment with you. I was once at conference in Santa Barbara, California making local call to a five-star restaurant. The local call was $2 dollars and that doesn't even include: Federal, State, city and hotel taxes. By the time I paid for that call, it was over five dollars. Five ofthose local calls to make reservations for restaurants or plays would pay for your monthly Vonage VOIP connection.

If you new to VOIP like me, and would like a second line in addition to your land line than VOIP; can be a cost effective long distance solution. Always start out with a minimal VOIP calling plan, you can always upgrade if the need arises. For your mobile usage, do your own family shared plan assessment here.

This article has been provided as a special feature contribution to SymbianOne - the opinions and expressions contained within the piece are those of the author.

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