| The advantages of switching from a regular | | | | minutes of long distance calls every month. Rates |
| phone service to a VOIP service aremanifold. The | | | | like $9.99 permonth for 200 minutes will beat any |
| biggest advantage being cost savings both for the | | | | regular phone company rates. The higher priced |
| residential consumersand small businesses. With | | | | plans come with unlimited long distance calling in |
| broadband internet (dsl and cable) having garnered | | | | the US & Canada for a higher fixed fee. |
| acritical mass among residential customers and | | | | Though prices for unlimited plans are higher that |
| small businesses, voip presentsitself as an | | | | the basic plans, they are still cheaper than regular |
| extremely viable option. The cost advantage | | | | phone company price plans. There arealso plans |
| comes from the voiptechnology which uses the | | | | tailored for small businesses which may include |
| ubiquitous cheap internet as the back bone | | | | video conferencing. |
| forcommunication. | | | | 3. VOIP Features - The most important VOIP |
| Several companies have established themselves | | | | feature you must have is the ability to make |
| as worthy players in this fieldchallenging major | | | | 911emergency calls. VOIP companies provide E911 |
| telecom companies. Vonage by far is the biggest | | | | service, which is similar to the 911 service |
| voip serviceprovider in the US and Canada | | | | provided by the cell phone companies. Some voip |
| followed by Packet8, Verizon, SunRocket, Lingo | | | | providers do not provide an E911 service. Make |
| and | | | | sure your provider has a E911 service if you are |
| Viatalk, not in that order though. The more the | | | | dumping you regular phone company altogether |
| number of service providers, the more confusing | | | | and switching to a voip provider. Other features |
| it becomes to choose from when you go voip | | | | include voice mail, call forwarding, call waiting, 3 |
| shopping. Alll voip providers aren't made equal. | | | | way calling, online account management, current |
| Each providerhaving some advantages over the | | | | phone number transfer and many more. Do some |
| other. | | | | research and make a list of features you want to |
| There are three major yardsticks you should | | | | have with your voip plan and ensure the voip |
| consider before choosing a voipcompany. | | | | provider you are choosing has those features. |
| | | | Promotions and Offers - Though the VOIP plan |
| 1. Call Quality | | | | pricing are always cheaper than your regular |
| 2. Price | | | | phone company rates, most voip companies |
| 3. VOIP Features | | | | come up with limited time promotions like free 1 |
| 1. Call Quality - Voip being a newer technology, it | | | | year or six months of service when you sign up |
| still hasn't matured enough. | | | | during the promotion period. SunRocket and |
| So call quality varies between different providers. | | | | Viatalk seem more aggressive in offering such |
| Also sometimes the call droprate is high among | | | | deals to gain some market share. If you can sign |
| some providers. Read voip reviews, do some | | | | up during these ongoing promotions, it will save |
| research about a provider'scall quality before | | | | you some additional money. There are many voip |
| signing up. | | | | related web sites that keep an up to date listing |
| 2. Price - Most provides have multiple price plans. | | | | of the current voip promotions. These web sites |
| The basic plan, which is always the cheapest | | | | also provide visitors with user and expert |
| comes with a fixed number of long distance | | | | reviewsand will be a great tool for your research |
| minutes every month. Its pretty much like cell | | | | and helpful in choosing the right voip provider for |
| phone calling plans, where you get a few hundred | | | | your need. |