Is VoIP in Your Future? About Residential Internet Phone Service
By Debbie Jacobsen

Are you using VoIP yet? If not, statistics indicate you’ll be replacing your traditional
land line phone service with Internet phone service within the next year or so. Chances
are you’ve heard about VoIP, but you may know of it as “
digital phone service”. This is
the marketing term cable television provider’s use when advertising their version of
Internet phone service.

The terms
VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol), Internet phone service, broadband phone
service and digital phone service are used interchangeably, and all refer to the
technology used to make telephone calls over the Internet. VoIP started becoming popular
as a money-saving replacement for “land line” phone service a couple of years ago, and
now it is quickly becoming the residential phone service of choice.

According to the Telecommunications Industry News, the number of VoIP users in the United
States doubled from 1.5 to nearly 3 million between 2004 and 2005. Voip Monitor estimated
there were approximately 6 million users in September 2006, and projects there will be 24
million users by the end of 2008. Internet phone service is here to stay, and it’s only a
matter of time before you consider switching to VoIP.






Why are so many millions of people disconnecting their regular “telephone-line” based
phone service in favor of VoIP? To save money!

Regular phone service relies on millions of miles of telephone cable, millions of switches
and millions of technicians and support personnel to maintain the telephone in your home.
This costs a tremendous amount of money, and the costs are passed on to us consumers in
our phone bills. Most people pay $40 a month or more for the privilege of having a dial
tone. When you add long distance charges to that, it’s not uncommon to see $100+ phone
bills every month.

Internet phone service relies on a broadband Internet connection to route calls over the
World Wide Web, to anywhere in the world.
VoIP providers only have to maintain a room
fullof servers and switches, Internet connectivity and a staff of technicians in order to
provide consumers with high quality Internet phone service.

Although prices differ among
VoIP service providers, you can expect to pay $20 - $40 a
month for Internet phone service, and this usually includes unlimited local and long
distance calls! Most VoIP providers also throw in tons of free phone features too – like
caller ID, call waiting, voicemail and call forwarding – just to name a few. If you really
want to save a lot of money on phone service, consider using a VoIP provider that offers
an unlimited annual plan. These plans usually run $199 a year (paid upfront). Voip.com and
Sunrocket are two good companies that offer an annual option.

If you make international calls, VoIP service will save you a ton of money vs. traditional
phone service. International long distance rates are usually only pennies per minute with
VoIP, depending on where you call. If you make frequent international calls, consider
subscribing with a VoIP company that offers an international calling plan. Sunrocket,
Packet8 and
Vonage are three good providers that offer an international option.

The only requirement you’ll need to meet in order to use residential VoIP service is a
broadband Internet connection.  

Most people already have broadband Internet access (over 60% of Americans), so this
makes switching to VoIP a really easy process. After choosing a VoIP provider that offers the
calling plan that is right for you, sign up for service on their website. In many cases,
you can keep your existing phone number. The provider will send you a small device known
as a Voip adapter (also known as an ATA). When you receive it, installation is a simple
matter of connecting a few cables and dialing a special number to activate service. No
tools or technical skills are required in order to install Internet phone service, and you
can use your existing telephone.

If you don’t have broadband Internet service yet, you’ll need to get this before you can
use VoIP. My recommendation is to use cable Internet service. Although this may cost you
around $20 a month more than your current dial-up service, you will more than make up the
difference once you subscribe to VoIP service and disconnect your land line phone. An
added benefit is that you will be able to surf the web at high-speed while talking on the
phone at the same time!

Most people who switch to Internet phone service save around $500 a year on their phone
bill.
VoIP looks and feels just like regular “land line” service. The only thing different
that you’ll notice is extra money in your pocket!

See my website for more information on Internet phone service, including reviews of the
best VoIP providers. For the latest information on VoIP providers and current promotions,
visit my blog
Internet Phone Service - The Future is Here!
VOIP Solution Journal.com
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