Some of the most honest and sincere advice a telecommunications professional can give a business Visit here http://vonagevoipcalls.blogspot.com

when evaluating telephone system technology options for their business is to make sure they buy a telephone system with VOIP capability. It is estimated that over 90% of new business telephone systems shipped in 2010 will have VOIP capability, and we will evaluate the reasons for that trend, as well as explain why owning a phone system with VOIP capability has become a necessity even if you don’t use the features at the time of purchase.

It would be best to start with a brief description of the different types of VOIP systems available. Not all flavors are the same, and each carries their own benefits. VOIP tends to mean many things to many people, so let’s make sure we are speaking the same language before starting. There are two main areas of VOIP to cover:

VOIP Telephone Service: Defined as the ability of your telephone system to interface with a telephone service provider via your data connection to make your calls over the public internet. SIP trunking is the most popular method of interface on the commercial level, but we will not be covering this transport method in this article. VOIP telephone service promises some more competitive pricing mainly due to increased T1 usage due to compression, but few phone systems interface with VOIP providers at this time. Each manufacturer has to go through a rigorous interoperability testing procedure in order verify Quality of Service with each carrier. Very few systems have completed this process with the few carriers that are out there. Some think of this as “free long distance” or “flat rate long distance” that is far more competitive than standard business offerings.

VOIP Capable Telephone Systems: When we speak of a VOIP capable telephone system, we are directly referring to the ability of the phone system to use the Voice Over Internet Protocol language to carry your telephone conversations internally or between locations. We are not speaking of the ability to make your phones calls over a VOIP Telephone Service Provider as detailed above. Using VOIP internally allows you several benefits.

Shared wiring infrastructure: VOIP conversations require typically between 16k-64k depending upon compression levels, so the data wiring infrastructure of a typical office running CAT5e cabling can share the same 100M cabling for both voice and data. Voice is prioritized over data to protect call quality, and dozens of phone calls could be made simultaneously without noticeably affecting data speeds. Using a shared wire infrastructure saves on wiring installation costs as well as wiring maintenance costs.
Ease of Moves, Adds, and Changes: Changes in configuration that typically required a technician site visit in the past are now possible to do internally quite easily. Although many manufacturers will argue that they can now perform this functionality via TDM technology and web interfaces, it was VOIP systems that brought this ability to the forefront with industry changing ease. For any company that knows their phone system technicians on a first name basis, the ability to administer your own system will dramatically alter your total cost of ownership. Reduction in MAC charges have made the VOIP systems highly desirable simply because they cost less to maintain. System administration is now something that can be internally for over 95% of programming changes.
The ability to connect offices: With VOIP capability, you can now connect offices through managed data connections to utilize your phones systems more cost effectively than ever. This gives clients a more transparent experience when dealing with employees from multiple offices, and it allows businesses to offer a more customer friendly environment. Toll bypass is an added benefit and eliminates costly toll charges between locations when using VOIP. The business case for more cost effective use of manpower has been startling. The ability to have a single receptionist to handle calls for multiple locations can often pay for a system within a year. Allowing employees who were previously tied up with answering calls to move to income generating activities can prove to be a financial coup depending on company size and configuration.
The ability to manage remote employees: A major trend nationwide has been to hire remote employees for various tasks. They may be sales, support, or operations related, but the common challenge for all companies has been the effective management of those employees. With a VOIP system and a managed data connection, you can literally hook up your remote employee to your phone system with a VOIP telephone. Doing so gives the employer access to all of the same management tools they enjoy internally with other employees. You can see real time availability on the phone, number of calls made, calls received, talk time, and all other relevant information with the right software applications.
Ease of database integration: For companies that use CRM packages with TAPI or IMAP interfaces, having a VOIP system can prove to be an incredible production tool. Incoming calls can be routed to the desired party based upon programming and assignment in the CRM. Screen pops allow users to see who is calling before choosing to answer calls, send to voice mail, or transfer appropriately. Desktop call control also gives users the ability to dial numbers with a click of a mouse right out of their contacts. Users can use all of the features and functionality of their desk phone from their PC screen. Since manpower is typically the highest cost for any business, having tools that help make employees more efficient to the tune of several minutes a day can provide incredible paybacks.
IP Softphones: IP Softphones have proven to be an incredible tool for the right application. Make a lot of calls overseas? Have employees who travel frequently and need to connect to the phone system from hotels? Need to connect from tradeshows real time with line appearance? With a software driven SoftPhone, you can have complete phone system functionality from your laptop or PDA device with a USB headset for a phone! Many new applications are coming.

There are numerous other benefits that VOIP systems provide over their more traditional TDM counterparts, but we limited mention to the main ones above. While TDM phone system options still remain a viable solution that is slightly more cost effective up front, we find that the projected TCO or Total Cost of Ownership is often less with a VOIP system due to the available feature set and production efficiency tools. For those companies that have only one location, telecom professionals will typically recommend a hybrid system. A hybrid system is a business telephone system based upon cost effective TDM technology, but that has the ability to add VOIP capability via a media gateway card. Although VOIP may not be a service priority to a company today, it is essential to make sure you have future capability should you choose to implement it at a later date.

Perhaps one of the last things companies consider when making a phone system purchase, but one they should probably consider a little more, is the phone system resell value. Since telecom professionals regularly assist their clients in the process of liquidating their old equipment, they are very much aware of what old equipment is worth. As with most aging electronics, there is minimal value that can be expected after five years, but a startling trend has been showing up in the past year. Systems without VOIP capability have next to no value. When companies attempt to liquidate systems as little as five years old, they often find they have no takers since the systems have no VOIP ability. The dramatic shift to VOIP has literally wiped out generations of used telephony product value, as there is literally no demand. There will always be some demand for used inventory for the major manufacturers such as NEC, Avaya, Cisco, Nortel, and Toshiba, but all others look to be extremely weak investments at this time. Although resale value should not be a major consideration when choosing which system to purchase, business owners should be aware that choosing a system with VOIP capability from a major manufacturer will virtually guarantee a reasonable resale value down the road. As always, we suggest you speak to your local telecom professional for assistance in choosing which system is right for you.Visit here http://vonagevoipcalls.blogspot.com

VoIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol has been simmering for the past few years. Visit here http://vonagevoipcalls.blogspot.com

This year the market has heated up. Many large businesses have jumped on the VoIP bandwagon and have realized savings of 50-percent or more off their phone bills. VoIP providers are competing to add to or replace large PBX systems for the corporations and add web conferencing capabilities plus wireless VoIP (wVoIP) over LAN’s as well.

Hospitals and other large, fragmented workforces are discovering the value of using wireless VoIP phones to converse with one another quickly and efficiently while in different wings, floors or buildings of a large facility. This kind of wireless VoIP setup can have huge cost savings over cell phones and is more efficient that using pagers.

While business VoIP has caught on in the corporate landscape, residential VoIP is still trying to take hold. This is largely because of a couple of current disadvantages of VoIP. First, not all current VoIP systems have power backups. When the power goes out in a residence, the landline is still operational. Since VoIP works over a high-speed Internet connection, which requires power, if the power goes down, so does the VoIP connection. This will be of concern to many concerned about emergency situations. The good news is that many VoIP hardware providers are starting to deliver systems with power backup to address just this issue.

The second drawback of residential VoIP is that not all current VoIP service providers offer full, 24-7 emergency 911 service. After hour calls in Florida, may be mistakenly rerouted to Idaho for instance. This is also about to change. The Federal Communications Commission has mandated that all phone service providers offer e911 service as standard. According to the FCC, “All interconnected VoIP providers must automatically provide E9-1-1 services to all customers as a standard, mandatory feature without customers having to specifically request this service. VoIP providers may not allow their customers the option to “opt-out” of E9-1-1 service.”

Clearly, though, residential VoIP is heading towards direct competition with the local phone companies’ coveted landlines. A couple of years ago at a meeting in SBC’s Publishing division, one of the executive managers cried, “Landlines, we need to stop losing landlines!” This was in response to cell phone companies taking away market share from the local Baby Bells. Now that VoIP is on the radar, the executive management teams for the local and long-distance phone companies must be huddling in their back offices, trying to figure out how they will stop the bleeding in the years to come.

With VoIP costing far less that traditional local and long-distance phone service and overcoming the last of the residential hurdles, one can be sure that consumers will soon be taking notice. Many will also start wearing t-shirt like “VoIP VIP” and “Got VoIP?” to herald in the new era in telecommunications.Visit here http://vonagevoipcalls.blogspot.com

More than 1.8 million people are currently taking advantage of the benefits of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) in the UK (Ofcom, 2006).Visit here http://vonagevoipcalls.blogspot.com

 With around three million PC to PC VoIP users predicted by the end of 2007, another million using the new technology to call traditional landlines, and businesses starting to get in on the action, we looked at why internet phone calls are proving so popular.

1. What is it and how does it work?

In its simplest sense, VoIP means using the internet to make phone calls. By taking ordinary analogue signals and turning them into digital signals, it allows you to ring people using your broadband connection. VoIP manifests itself in a number of ways:

A headphone and microphone headset via an interface like MSN Messenger between two computers. Calls made in this way are completely free.
A headset plugged into a PC to connect to someone else who is using a normal landline or mobile.
A VoIP phone or adaptor that plugs into an old phone to make calls in the same way as a landline.

2. Will I get my own number?

Yes. You can get any phone number that you want – so you can get a traditional geographical number for the city that you live in. Then other people can ring you on your VoIP line.

3. What equipment will I need?

If you’re going for option one or two, all you need is a headset and microphone that you plug into the back of your computer (the pink and the green jacks either at the back or the front of your PC).

This costs from around £5 upwards. Check out Amazon.

You will also need to download an instant messenger. Try Skype, Google Talk, MSN Messenger or Yahoo. Then you (and your friends) need to sign up and get an account. Simply add each other to your contact lists, request a “voice conversation” and you’re ready to chat. But don’t forget to make sure you have plugged your headset in.

If you’re more comfortable using a traditional handheld phone, you will need to buy a VoIP phone or adaptor. VoIP phones look and behave exactly like normal phones, and both the phone and the adaptor allow you to make calls as you always did.

BT and Orange, now offer VoIP as part of their broadband packages, making the whole process much easier.

If not, VoIP phones start from around £10, and adaptors from around £20 from Amazon.

4. What will VoIP cost me?

Once you have bought your headset or phone, you have to decide which pricing option is best for you.

Vonage offer an anytime calls package with inclusive UK minutes and international calls starting from 0.02p a minute for £7.99 a month. There is an activation fee of £9.99 but they do give you a free adaptor for your home phone.
BT offer an anytime plan from £4.99 a month for BT Broadband customers. Calls to international landlines are charged from 1.25p per minute (with a 3p set up charge). Mobile phone call charges vary from 5p a minute at weekends up to 13p a minute at peak times.
Orange offer VoIP with their Broadband Unlimited package (£19.99 a month). To make calls you just plug your normal phone into your Orange Livebox modem, and it works even when your computer is off. Calls to 01 and 02 national numbers are free, calls to UK mobiles are 10p a minute and calls to 100 international destinations are free too. If you are also a pay monthly Orange customer, calls to other Orange mobile phones are free too.

But VoIP can also be completely free. If you know what time your friends will be online you can make your calls PC to PC and you won’t have to pay a penny.

5. How does it compare to using a standard landline for cost?

The fact that 70 per cent of UK households rely on a landline that costs around £11 a month for their broadband (Ofcom, 2006), does cause some problems for specialist VoIP companies like Vonage as you don’t want to be paying two line rental costs.

Also, the fixed line telecoms business has become very competitive, so a great as it sounds, it’s also a good idea to check the fixed line market before committing to a VoIP line. Click here  to compare fixed line prices.

6. Reliability and quality issues

Despite Ofcom estimates of the number of active VoIP households, actual user volumes are difficult to track; early users suffered with poor quality connections, echoes and delays. The quality of your call can also be affected by your bandwidth, so if you have an ADSL line with a contention ratio of 50:1, your connection might not be as good during peak times.

But while these issues have improved, your broadband still needs to be switched on to make calls, increasing both your electricity bill and the chance of your network being infiltrated. In addition, you will have difficulty making calls any time you’re experiencing broadband connection problems.

7. VoIP in an emergency

Because you need electricity to make VoIP calls, since your broadband connection must be on, and, because you cannot ring emergency services from all VoIP networks, the chances are that you will still need a normal phone in an emergency.

Even if you are able to call emergency services, Ofcom still recommends that you check with your provider to see whether or not they will automatically know where you are calling from. Click here to see if you can ring 999 from your VoIP provider.

8. Call features

If the last two paragraphs have put you off, VoIP has some great call features that make up for its early teething problems.

Apart from the obvious cash savings, you can also make easy three-way calls – great if you have friends in different parts of the world.

A host of other features include online message centres for retrieving messages, a facility that allows
you to send voicemails via email and the excellent benefit of being able to take your landline wherever you go. With VoIP you can make free and very cheap calls from any PC, any time you have access to a broadband connection – even from your mobile if you have a Smart Phone.

9. Should I bin my landline?

Unfortunately, most of you can’t since you still need your traditional line for your broadband. However, if you have cable, it’s worth comparing the cost of the calls you make against the costs of a VoIP provider.

Even if you can’t get rid of your landline, using VoIP for PC to PC calls is also a great way of getting a second landline without paying for another line rental at £11 a month.

In the USA, where you can purchase a pure broadband connection without a phone line or having to pay line rental (known as a naked DSL), VoIP is a much better option. At the moment though, Ofcom has decided that it is up to service providers to decide if, and when, they will offer naked DSL in the UK without a cable connection.

10. The future

BT is now offering a VoIP cross-over phone. This “intelligent” mobile phone uses the mobile network when you’re outside, and then switches to your VoIP connection when inside your house, allowing you to make calls from 5.5p for an hour. Orange should also be offering something similar soon.Visit here http://vonagevoipcalls.blogspot.com

VoIP Applications and services are offered by most of the major VoIP providers, Visit Here http://videoconferencingbasics.blogspot.com

and can mean that as a subscriber you get many more value-added products than you would with a traditional phone service.

These applications offer a multitude of services, which can be of benefit both to individuals and consumers. Below, we have highlighted some of the main VoIP applications that you can expect to have on offer once you sign up to a Voice Over IP service. Some will incur extra charges and some will be part of the package you buy. Once again, shop around to get the best deal based on your needs.

• Auto redial facilities, enabling you to call back a previously called number, or keep calling until that number is free

• Blocking of anonymous calls, which can be helpful in preventing spam calls

• Caller ID number and name, allowing you to quickly identify the caller

• Call Forwarding (automatic, or if busy or not answered)

• Call Transfer facility, helpful in businesses that can see a certain number calling, or the reason for the call, and then transfer that number to the appropriate party and save time

• Call Waiting, similar to the service commonly found on mobile phones

• Conference calling – normally up to six parties

• Contact List custom caller ID, so you can use any name or association to recognise instantly the person calling

• Distinctive Ringing Tone is another of the useful VoIP applications, appropriate either for a caller group or an individual

• Do Not Disturb message to potential callers, similar to that found on Instant Messenger services

• Facility to block outgoing caller ID

• Free calls to other subscribers of your provider (normally)

• Outgoing and incoming fax calls possible, avoiding the need to have bulky and often expensive fax equipment, as well as a separate line

• Speed dial facility for a return call

• Speed Dial numbers for all contacts

• Voicemail (through a voicemail box, or to an e-mail account) – see below

• VoIP Virtual Numbers

One of the more interesting VoIP applications is that of VoIP virtual numbers, which can be of benefit both to individuals and corporations. These virtual geographic numbers can be ‘purchased’ from your VoIP provider, and allow you to have a set of phone numbers that are all routed to your central number.

For example, you may wish to have fifteen different numbers in different cities in the UK to imply a local presence for your business. When the caller dials the number, it is routed directly through to your central number, and that caller will know no different. In some countries, call charges can be markedly different based on the distance of the call, for example in the USA. Therefore, to have a local access number in Miami will mean local callers pay significantly less than they would if they had to dial a number on the other side of the country.

The purchase of geographic (and non-geographic) number ranges is becoming more and more a lucrative business for VoIP providers, and a key value-added service.

• VoIP Priority Alert

This example of the VoIP applications allows you to set up different ringing tones depending on the person who is calling you. For example, if you specifically needed to know that your husband/wife was on the phone, you could reserve a tone for that call and would immediately know it was them who was calling.

• VoIP Call Groups

This is a particularly useful way of setting up rules that apply to a certain group of callers. For example, you can block your caller I.D. to everyone you call except members of a specific caller group you set up. Alternatively, you may wish to set up a caller group from whom all calls would be forwarded to your personal mobile number, rather than having this facility apply to every call that comes through.

• VoIP Physical Portability

This is another of the useful VoIP applications. Wherever you go in the world and have access to a high speed internet connection, you can take your VoIP phone with you and use it immediately. Then, when you are online, and wish to make a call, your phone will be recognised, and the call will be charged the same as if you were at home. For example, a caller from London who is away on business in South Africa will be able to use their VoIP phone exactly as they would were they in London, and without having to pay extortionate per minute charges for international roaming calls.

It also means that wherever you are in the world, people would still dial the same number to get vhold of you. Therefore, if you had a UK 020 phone number, they could dial this number to get you, even if you were in Cape Town.

Another key benefit of VoIP portability is that if you decide to move house to a different area, there is no need to change your number – you simply keep your VoIP phone with the existing number, and do not incur any charges or inconvenience from the move.

• VoIP Priority Ringing Tones

These VoIP applications allow you to set up different ringing tones depending on the person who is calling you. For example, if you specifically needed to know that your husband/wife was on the phone, you could reserve a tone for that call and would immediately know it was them who was calling.

• VoIP Call Groups

This is a particularly useful way of setting up rules that apply to a certain group of callers. For example, you can block your caller I.D. to everyone you call except members of a specific caller group you set up. Alternatively, you may wish to set up a caller group from whom all calls would be forwarded to your personal mobile number, rather than having this facility apply to every call that comes through.

• VoIP Beyond Voicemail

Some VoIP providers will offer you the option to have a VoIP voicemail service that forwards an e-mail to you. This e-mail is a sound file that you can play on your PC to hear the voicemail. This can be a particularly convenient way of picking up your messages on the move. You can also then forward this e-mail to other people so that a group can all have access to one voice message.

Summary

That is an overview of the key VoIP applications that are the value-added services on offer to you as a subscriber. As you can see, VoIP offers a number of opportunities to make yourcalling both more pleasant and efficient. Over time, keep an eye out for further service offerings that will enhance your VoIP-user experience.Visit Here http://videoconferencingbasics.blogspot.com

VoIP technology seems to be great! But confused about how to go about it?Visit here http://vonagevoipcalls.blogspot.com

 That’s the common refrain of people wanting to graduate from a dial-up connection on to VoIP. The applications of VoIP technology are so surreal, so amazing that this dilemma is not exactly uncalled for.

But before we go into the applications of VoIP, let’s first understand as to what is VoIP. VoIP (voice over internet protocol) is a technological innovation allowing you to send data, audio & video concurrently over the internet, this transforms into minimal use of the available bandwidth thereby offering mind blowing transmission speeds.

VoIP has the potential to fulfill all your communication needs be it telephony, data transfer, video conferencing… your imagination is the limit. To move onto the big league, you would have to contact a VoIP service provider. These VoIP providers buy bandwidths from wholesale VoIP providers & sell it to individual customers at a premium.

Today the UK VoIP market is flush with a wide variety of VoIP providers, in order to truly enjoy VoIP you must be able to pick & choose the best provider as per your individual needs. This seems easy but it is not so, the VoIP carriers in their eagerness to corner larger chunks of the VoIP market often forgo quality & reliability.

But as it is said that ‘to every problem there’s a solution’, you can get past this hiccup on your way to super fast communication by taking expert advice from independent VoIP link providers. These websites being independent & impartial provide you with instant links to the best VoIP carrier in your area.

This way on one hand you get a broad overview about VoIP services & on the other hand ensure effortless transition in to the VoIP arena.

VoIP for sure is the communication solution of the future, faster you join, more the advantage you get!!Visit here http://vonagevoipcalls.blogspot.com

VoIP products are integral to the most advanced and reliable VoIP and Voice over ATM platforms currently sold by leading VoIP telecom and networking companies worldwide. Visit here http://vonagevoipcalls.blogspot.com

VoIP products based on VoIP enabled technology products employ Voice over Packet chip processors, VoIP PCI and cPCI communication boards and VoIP media gateway modules (PMC form factor).

VoIP companies provide voice over packet (VoIP) processors for OEM implementations of voice communications over packet networks or “VoIP”. Each VoIP processor features low bit rate Vocoders, a State-of-the-art Echo Canceller and T.38 compliant fax relay. High and medium density gateways, residential gateways and integrated access devices (IAD) are among the major users of VoIP chip processors. These VoIP solutions power client applications from small gateways and IP phones… An As an indication of market size… one major VoIP provider has over 10 million ports installed and growing rapidly.

VoIP Products – Gateway Network

The entire VoIP gateway network is based on continued advances in VoIP media boards that offer field proven solutions. Product design of proper PSTN interfaces is a critical factors in VoIP deployment. How can small or medium-sized gateways compete in the market? By implementing cost-effective solutions for enterprise or small POPs and fast market penetration into new and emerging markets. On the other hand, large VoIP gateways are designed to meet major carriers’ operational requirements.

VoIP Products – Market Driven

The rapid VoIP market expansion for VoIP Gateways led to the large diversity in VoIP products. Today, VoIP providers may choose from different sized gateways for VoIP networks of different sizes. Also, Mediant VoIP gateways enable carriers to address multi-regional requirements and strengthen economics of deployment. For instance, providing PSTN signaling and compression technology deployed in over 75 countries is quite a challenge. Fortunately, VoIP technology may quickly enter new regions and conserve precious bandwidth in hard-to-reach offices.Visit here http://vonagevoipcalls.blogspot.com

Once you’ve decided to switch from traditional land line phone service to money-saving internet phone service,Visit here http://vonagevoipcalls.blogspot.com

 you’ll need to decide what type of VoIP plan to get. Every VoIP provider offers a choice of calling plans, depending on your needs. You’ll need to decide between unlimited local and long distance service, or a limited amount of minutes per month. You may also need to consider international long distance calling, as well as whether or not you need the portability of a softphone with your residential VoIP service.

Here are some things to consider when shopping for a residential VoIP plan:

Do You Want Unlimited Long Distance Calling? All VoIP providers offer an unlimited plan, which includes an unrestricted amount of incoming and outgoing calls. An unlimited VoIP plan includes all the free long distance calls you want to make, usually within the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. This is the most popular type of residential VoIP plan and is a real money-saver, particularly if you make long distance calls. Unlimited internet phone service plans typically cost between $20 and $40 a month, depending on the provider.

Do You Want to Maximize Cost Savings? Most people switch to VoIP to save money. Depending on what you currently pay for phone service and long distance calls, you should see a savings of around $500 a year. For even greater savings (another $100 a year or so), you can choose a VoIP provider that offers an annual plan. This is actually “prepaid” internet phone service, and it usually costs around $199 a year (less than $17 a month) for unlimited local and long distance calling. The VoIP provider Sunrocket built their business around an annual plan, and now there are a few other VoIP companies offering an annual plan as well.

Do You Need Cheap International Calling Rates? If you plan to make international long distance calls, VoIP service is definitely the way to go. VoIP providers offer some of the lowest international rates available. Rates vary by VoIP provider though, depending on the country you are calling. All internet phone service providers publish their international long distance rates on their website, so compare rates to the countries you call in order to find the best deal.

Do You Need a SoftPhone for Portability? If you want to take your internet phone service with you when you travel, look for a VoIP plan that offers a free softphone. This is software that installs on your laptop, and allows you to make and receive calls through your VoIP service account. A softphone is a very convenient benefit for business travelers as well as vacationers and snowbirds. It allows you to use your VoIP plan from anywhere, as long as you have access to a broadband internet connection. Many companies charge extra for softphone service. Packet8 and Voip.com are two providers that include it for free.

What Type of Features Do You Want? One of the great things about VoIP service is that you get a ton of free features, no matter which plan you choose. All internet phone service providers give you the basic features like voicemail, call waiting, caller id and call forwarding. If you want the capability to receive voicemail messages attached to an email, or want to have calls transferred to another number if there is no answer, look for a VoIP provider that offers these more enhanced features. Unlike with traditional phone service, internet phone service providers don’t charge extra for all the “bells and whistles”.

Once you’ve determined what kind of VoIP service plan you want, you’re ready to start looking for an internet phone service provider who can meet your needs. There are many good VoIP providers to choose from, but all offer slightly different plans, rates and features. Once you know what type of calling plan you want though, it’s pretty easy to compare the plans offered by the various VoIP providers. Some good providers to consider are Voip.com, Packet8, AT&T and Sunrocket.Visit here http://vonagevoipcalls.blogspot.com

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. Visit here http://vonagevoipcalls.blogspot.com

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 full of 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!Visit here http://vonagevoipcalls.blogspot.com

There are many types of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) protocols that are employed by the VoIP providers currently providing VoIP calling plans. Visit here http://vonagevoipcalls.blogspot.com

Luckily for the consumers, the VoIP providers have listened to what functions the consumers want in their Voicemails. Almost all of the VoIP providers provide Voicemail with the standard VoIP calling plan. The special feature of the VoIP voicemail plan is in how the consumer can access his/her VoIP voicemail message.

In general, there are 4 ways in which a VoIP consumer can access their voicemail. When you add the four ways up, you will be able to access your voicemail from virtually anywhere.

First, you can access your voicemail through your primary VoIP telephone by dialing *123 or some other combination of numbers (VoIP voicemail access code varies by provider). The automatic attendant will let you know how many voicemails you have and walk you through retrieving all of your new voicemails and saving/deleting your old emails. It is quite a slick system.

The second method is via a local voicemail access number, where you can call a local telephone number from any telephone (Cell phone/Land line/ VoIP phone). When you dial into your local voicemail access number, the auto attendant will ask for you to punch in your VoIP phone number and password to be able to access your VoIP voicemail system.

The third method is through your VoIP provider online account management portal. You can go to your Provider’s VoIP homepage and access the “Customer Login” portal by typing in your username and password. Once into the portal, click on the Voicemail tab and you can listen to your new voicemails over Internet connection.

The fourth method, and possibly the most useful, is every time you get a new VoIP voicemail, you are sent an email. That email will state that you have a new voicemail from your VoIP account, the date the voicemail was received, and an attachment of the voicemail as a .wav file. One outstanding feature is that you can save the .wav file on your computer’s hard drive and email the voicemail to friends, family, or coworkers.

The above are generally how most VoIP providers give consumers access to their voicemail (but not all). Be sure to check each VoIP provider for how they provide their consumers access to their voicemail.Visit here http://vonagevoipcalls.blogspot.com

In 2004 the terms VoIP, internet phone service and IP phone were foreign to almost everyone except technology professionals and geeky computer types. Visit here http://vonagevoipcalls.blogspot.com

Now most people I talk with are at least slightly familiar with these terms, as the internet phone service market is now starting to take off. Contrary to what many people believe, VoIP is not a new technology. It was introduced to the public in 1995, by a company called Vocaltec. By using internet phone software, registered users could make phone calls via their computer using a dialup internet connection. I made my first internet phone call in 2000 using my computer, a headset, a dialup internet connection and a free account with Net2Phone. The sound quality was terrible, but it was an absolutely fascinating experience to be making a free long distance call over my computer. Now in 2005, ten years after the first commercial use of VoIP, the technology is finally ready for prime time!

Significant improvements have been made with VoIP in the past five years, and communications companies have started investing heavily in the technology. The quality and reliability of service has improved so much within the past year or so that VoIP is now suitable and reliable enough for everyday residential and business use. In fact, so much attention is now being given to the continued improvement of VoIP technology that it’s well on it’s way to becoming the PREFERRED method of communication by home users and businesses alike.

There were around 1.5 million internet phone users in the USA in 2004, and around 2.1 million today according to Telecommunications Industry News. According to various statistics I’ve seen, the number of VoIP users in the United States is projected to be around 17 to 18 million between 2008 and 2010. This in an increase of over 1000% within the next 3 to 5 years! Experts also estimate that by 2007, 75% of long distance calls worldwide will be made via the internet. The US is currently not the biggest user of VoIP technology – there are about 7 million users in Japan out of approximately 12 million worldwide today. The internet phone industry is booming, and will continue to grow over the next decade. It seems that everyone including EBay wants in on the exploding VoIP market now, as evidenced by their purchase of VoIP provider Skype in September 2005.

More people are showing interest in obtaining Internet Phone Service because they are starting to hear more about it. This is due in part to more “converted users” raving about the amount of money they are saving and the great features they get for free (I love my VoIP service so much I wrote a website about it!). A greater awareness has also come from increased advertising efforts by major cable and communications companies. Many cable television and phone service companies (like Verizon) have been pouring money into VoIP technology in order to capture some of this new market share.

In an effort to hold on to their customers, many regular PSTN (public switched telephone network) phone companies are now offering “unlimited long distance calling” for a flat monthly fee of around $39 per month. Current subscribers are starting to cancel their traditional phone service as they are convinced that VoIP is a better option. Not only is VoIP cheaper (under $25 a month for unlimited calling), but most Internet Phone providers throw in all of the optional features for free. Phone companies charge extra for services like voicemail, caller id and call waiting. I think phone companies have missed the boat when it comes to competing with VoIP, but that’s a topic for another article……

With all of the telephone service options now available, it is becoming difficult for consumers to choose the right provider for their needs:

Should you subscribe with a true VoIP service service provider (like Vonage, Packet8, SunRocket, Voip.net, etc…), or should you choose the phone service that your cable company provides? If you compare VoIP provider rates with those of the cable company, “pure” VoIP providers are clearly the winner. Cable companies do provide free installation, but VoIP is really very simple to install. Many cable companies offer discount through “package deals”, but it’s always smart to compare total cost and included features with VoIP providers before making a decision.

Should you switch to VoIP and get rid of your landline phone, or keep what you’ve got and pay for unlimited long distance calling? If you don’t use the internet, keep your landline phone and forget about VoIP for now. To get the most bang for your buck out of VoIP service, you need to have cable internet service. This eliminates the need for a phone line and “dial tone” that you have to pay the phone company for. To use VoIP in the most cost effective way, calls should go through your cable broadband connection – this eliminates the need for standard phone service. VoIP does not work well over dial up internet; you really need broadband in order to get the best audio quality.

Depending on your long distance calling habits, VoIP internet phone service can save you between 20% – 80% per year vs. traditional PSTN phone service. The technology is mature now and the quality of service is great (and getting better all the time). It’s hard to beat unlimited local and long distance calling for less than $25 per month, plus you get free voicemail, caller id, call waiting, call return, and all the other features you’re used to paying extra for.Visit here http://vonagevoipcalls.blogspot.com