Do you spend a significant amount of time on long-distance calls? If so, you'd be wise to take a look at Internet telephone service.
This revolutionary breakthrough has the potential to cut your long-distance
costs sharply. And it's available now.
Yes, the Web has promised breakthrough phone service for a long time. And, for
the longest time, it was something only a geek could love. But Internet phone
service is now hitting its stride. Furthermore, even normal people can
understand it.
This service is properly called Voice-over Internet Protocol, or VoIP.
Somehow, I doubt that name was invented by a marketing person.
Here's how it works: The VoIP company provides an adapter. Your standard phone
is connected to the adapter. The adapter, in turn, is connected to your
broadband modem (dial-up Internet connections can work, but most VoIP
providers say their service is intended for broadband). It gets a little more
complicated if you want to use both the phone and the computer. But even
technophobes should be able to handle it.
1. First and foremost, it's less expensive.
I know businesspeople who are on long
distance half the day, or more. If you're on for hours, day in and day out,
the cost mounts.
If you have standard long distance, you might be paying 10 cents per minute.
That could run you hundreds of dollars per month. Plus, you're paying for
your local service.
Contrast that with rates from
Vonage (Internet
Phone Service Page), a leading VoIP
provider. This company, founded in 2001, charges $49.99 per line monthly for
unlimited business calling, local and long distance, in the United States
and Canada. If you can get by with 1,500 minutes of local and long distance
calling, Vonage will charge you $39.99.
And services like a fax line, voice mail, call forwarding and caller ID are
free.
Things are even cheaper for residential phones. Vonage charges $34.99 for
unlimited service in the home. The company has two other residential plans,
at $24.99 and $14.99, for people who don't live on the phone.
Another provider,
Packet8 (Internet
Phone Service Page), has slightly higher rates. Its
basic business charge is $59.95 per month. That gets you unlimited calls to
Packet8 numbers, and 4,000 minutes to other phones. For $129.95, the minutes
are raised to 10,000. Compared to regular phone service, that's still not
bad.
Packet8 also charges $19.95 for unlimited residential calling.
Like Vonage, it throws in a bunch of free services, including call waiting,
call forwarding, voice mail and caller ID.
2. VoIP is catching on fast.
No sensible business person wants to be a guinea
pig. Small telephone companies can promise the world. But you have to be sure.
You might be dead in the water without phone service.
So maybe you'll be impressed to hear AT&T (http://www.att.com/)
is entering the VoIP market. Qwest (http://www.qwest.com/), a regional Bell operating
company, has launched VoIP service in at least one state, with plans to expand
to several more. Everybody else is studying it. VoIP is definitely coming.
AT&T is rolling out its CallVantage plan in 100
markets nationally in 2004. As of the first quarter of 2004, it was offered
for residences only, where AT&T charges $39.99 for unlimited local and
long-distance calling within the continental United States.
Qwest began VoIP residential service in
Minneapolis-St. Paul in December 2003. It plans to institute VoIP service for
both residences and businesses by the end of 2004 throughout its 14-state
area. Qwest spokesperson Claire Maledon says businesses should expect a 20% to
30% savings over traditional service.
Source (Microsoft Small Business Issues)
Compare Prices On Internet Phone Service Here!