VoIP: A Favourable Solution To Business Communication

Communication is an important part of business systems. Whether it is internal communication between the different functions of an organisation or external communication with the suppliers, partners and customers, the communication channel needs to be highly efficient and cost effective. Telecom revolution has brought a bag full of efficient and cost effective tools for communication and the latest addition to these is Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP.

A VoIP is nothing but communication between two people over a high speed broadband connection as opposed to traditional telephone lines. The broadband connection needs to be of high speed for better voice quality and high cost-effectiveness. With the help of certain VoIP hardware as well as VoIP software one can make a phone call using VoIP.

Let?s look at the benefits of having a VoIP system in an organisation:-

 Cost effective: - A VoIP call cuts down your telephone bills to the range of 40 to 60 per cent. Depending upon your VoIP service provider and VoIP products you use, calls can also made free of cost to limited areas.

 Inbuilt features: - Various inbuilt features like voicemail, call waiting, call routing; caller id etc gives it an edge over traditional phone lines.

 Flexible: - The VoIP system is highly flexible which means that it can adjust well to your business needs. If you need more lines you can upgrade your system at low cost and vice versa.

 Easy to use: - A VoIP system is highly user friendly and is very easy to use.

Now, let?s look at the organisations that can benefit highly from VoIP systems: -

? Any organisation which uses more than five lines can benefit highly from VoIP systems.

? Organisations which need to communicate across the globe.

? Organisations which want better management of their voice and data traffic.

? Organisations interested in or have customer support services.

? Any organisation which wants to cut their telephone bills.

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VoIP Phone Service

Comparing VoIP Providers For Small Business Solutions

It is no secret that communication is key to survival for small business. The advantage to small busineses of using a VoIP solution is that the market is very competitive. While there are relatively few companies from which to choose for normal phone service, many VoIP providers will gladly offer VoIP phone service at a very competitive rate and with unlimited long distance.

But....you need to do your homework first.

Phone service features indispensable to your business, such as voicemail, conferencing and call waiting, allow business to flow smoothly and efficiently. So....how do you decide if a VoIP solution is best for your business?

One of the first steps when analyzing your current service is to decide what features your business needs. Does it need multiple lines to accommodate the sales force? What about a toll free number for customer service? Make a list of all the features your office uses and think about others you might want to try.

The next step is to make an estimate of all intrastate (in- state), interstate (state-to-state) and international calls. An easy way to estimate these numbers is to view a recent phone bill. You might be surprised at how large or small your call volume actually is. If you rely heavily on fax machines, consider the number of incoming and outgoing faxes. As you review these numbers, remember to consult growth projections for the rest of the year.

Once you've done all this...you're ready to go comparison shopping.

Here's some resources to help you do that:

* VoIP Comparison Reviews

VoIPReview does a good job comparing feature sets from each of the providers. Its user reviews seem a bit skewed, but otherwise the site looks good.

* ZDNet Reviews

ZDNet usually has objective reviews. Read through its commentary on any of the providers you are considering.

* Broadband Reports

Broadband reports has a specific area for review by users...with a regularly updated scoring system. It's often skewed with a tad bit of emotion....and reviews are mostly residential. But it does give you an idea for business use.

* Google

I'm sure most of you already do this, but once you've figured out what you're looking for, perform a search on companies on Google to see what others have said about it.

If you're willing to do a bit more work, contact various providers and create your own comparison chart. You can begin your research by visiting voipreview.org. The site offers VoIP facts and reviews of various broadband phone service providers. Compare the business plans for different providers and research the various features offered with each plan. Also, make sure your current Internet connection can handle VoIP calls. The Web site testyourvoip.com will evaluate and score your Internet connection. You'll know if it makes sense to run your phone traffic over your broadband connection.

Here is a list and description of the top ten (supposedly) VoIP providers (includes home plans for telecommuter staff).

- Axvoice

Axvoice has many plans for you to sign up. Unlimited call to USA/Canada plan costs $ 18.99 per month. Unlimited international & USA/Canada plan costs $29.99. Axvoice also has business plan starting from $ 39.99 per month.

- INVIVNI

INVIVNI has three plans, Residentials, Small Office, and Business. The Residential plan costs $24.95 per month. The Small Office plan costs $32.95 per month, and the Business plan costs is negotiable.

- VCInetwork

VCInetwork has three plans, Unlimited Long Distance :Home, Unlimited Long Distance: Business and 500 minutes to USA/Canada and Europe. Unlimited Long Distance : Home plan costs $28.95 per month. Unlimited Long Distance : Business plan costs $49.95 per month and 500 minutes to USA/Canada and Europe plan costs $14.50 per month.

- Skype

Skype is famous for their slogan, ?The Whole World can Talk for Free?. Skype is a free download and users can make free calls via, Skype to Skype. For a fee, you can advance your Skype to Skype Out and make calls to landline phones. Skype In will let your choose your area code and phone number. This way, friends and relatives can call you locally, if you select the same area code. Skype is compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, and Pocket Pc operating systems. Not really a good business solution.

- Vonage

Probably the most well known VoIP providers, you may be surprised to discover that Vonage is also one of the more expensive providers. Vonage offers two plans, residential and small business. Residential users may choose between the Basic 500 plan and Unlimited. The Basic 500 plan offers 500 minutes of talk time for $14.99 a month. The Premium Unlimited residential plan costs $24.99 per month.

The Small Business Basic plan costs $39.99 per month and allows 1500 minutes. The Small Business Unlimited plan costs $49.99 a month and provides unlimited calls throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada.

- Dialpad

Dialpad and Yahoo have merged services. Currently, Dialpad offers three plans- Dialpad Monthly 300, Dialpad Monthly 500, and Dialpad USA. The cost for Dialpad Monthly 300 is $7.50 per month, Dialpad Monthly 500 costs $9.99 per month, and Dialpad USA costs $11.99 per month.

- Broadvox Direct

Broadvox Direct offers residential and small business services. Their residential services include the Residential Choice Plus plan for $9.95 per month. The Residential Choice Plus plan includes 100 outbound minutes and unlimited incoming minutes. Their Residential Unlimited Plan costs $29.95 a month and includes unlimited calling anywhere in the US and Canada. The SoHo Small Business Regional Plan costs $34.95 per month and includes 1500 monthly minutes in the US and in Canada. The SoHo Small Business Unlimited Plan costs $44.95 per month and includes unlimited calls in the US and Canada and also includes a free fax line and Yellow Page listing.

- Galaxy Voice

Galaxy Voice offers two plans, Residential and Business. Their residential plan costs $19.95 a month and includes unlimited calling, Voicemail, Caller Id, Call Waiting, Call Return, Three Way Calling, and Call Forwarding. Their business plan costs $39.95 per month and includes unlimited calling, Free Voice Mail, Free Call Transfer, Free Call Forwarding, Free Repeat Dialing, and Free Caller ID block.

- Voice Pulse

Voice Pulse has three plans, America Unlimited, Local Unlimited +200, and Business Unlimited. The America Unlimited plan costs $24.99 per month. The Local Unlimited +200 costs $14.99 per month, and the Business Unlimited costs $45.99 per month.

- VoIP American

VoIP American has three different plans. These are the VoIP American PBX plan, the VoIP American Voice plan and the VoIP American bVoice plan. The VoIP American PBX plan cost $19.99 a month for a private line and $44.99 a month for unlimited calling. The VoIP Voice Residential Basic plan costs $14.99 per month and the VoIP Voice Residential Unlimited plan costs $29.99 per month. The bVoice Business plan costs $34.99 per month.

- Packet 8

Packet 8 not only offers phone plans, but they also offer videophone plans. Their residential plans are the Freedom International and Freedom Unlimited. Both of these plans cost $19.99 per month. [note: currently they're running a special for $9.95 per month for your 1st 3 months. The Videophone plan is the Freedom Unlimited and that too is $19.99 per month. Their business plans consists of three different plans. These are the Virtual Office service plans, the Virtual Attendant Service plans, and the Business Phone Service plans. The Virtual office phone plan costs $39.95 per month, the Virtual Attendant service plan costs $14.95 per month, and the Business Attendant service plan costs $34.95 per month.

- Sun Rocket

Sun Rocket offers their signature service for either $24.95 per month or $199.00 per year.

- Speakeasy

Speakeasy offers many different plans ranging from Home Office, Small Office I, Small Office II, and Small Business. Their Home Office plan costs 79.90 per month, the Small Office I plan costs $560.00 per month, the Small Office II plan costs 1,039 per month and the Small Business plan costs $2,349 per month.

Analyzing phone service is often a real headache. However, unreliable line quality, which results in poor customer service and huge monthly bills are even worse. In the end, doing your research will pay dividends for your business. Personally, I have no reservations recommending Packet8 for your business VoIP solution right now. However, go through the above steps first for your own peace of mind.....you'll likely reach the same conclusion.

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications....including Business-VoIP-Solution. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you're always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, resources, and insights.

Security Issues with VoIP

Are you acquainted to the pace with which IP telephony is catching up?

With major telecommunication carriers, in the process of preparing to launch VoIP applications it is heading towards a prime time. However a new sense of urgency is developing with the risk of wide spread security violation as VoIP technology is gaining popularity.

Until now VoIP security was not a volatile subject, since IP voice traffic remained on local and wide area enterprise networks mostly but VoIP usage becoming widespread has raised concerns over the VoIP security-security of voice data transferred since these voice networks are IP based and special call signal internet protocols that carry these data contains flaws.

To combat threats on VoIP security system it is essential to first device a method of sending VoIP traffic through firewalls. Which can block or restrict data packets due to their inbuilt security functions. Until then we are all susceptible to security breaches like denial of service attacks, tapping, loss of data, snooping.

The apprehensions attached with VoIP security are the major deterrents in the popularity and acceptance of IP telephony. Issues like invasion of privacy, eves-dropping are a serious matter and one would not want to fall victims to them. And it is this feeling of venerability that discourages people to adopt VoIP technology.

However there is a newer technology which has developed not very late ago. It?s called VPN (Virtual Private Network) ?it?s a wonderful way to connect through VoIP, fully guarding your concerns on breach of security. VPN forms a personal gateway between two users with the help of routers and forbids any attempts of intrusion. Although placing routers is an expensive affair altogether but many broadband service providers have begun offering a separate VPN servers to their routers.

Hence to ensure a secured calling experience with VoIP, choose a broadband service provider supporting VPN routers. And you could get the best of VoIP telephony.

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VoIP Termination

How to Switch to Avaya VoIP

Avaya Phone Systems has taken several steps to ensure a smooth transition traditional, circuit- based phone systems to VoIP phone systems. The company views the evolution to converged network as a three- step process:

Install IP architecture, laying the foundation for a wireless network capable of supporting data, voice, and video on a single cable.

Incorporate applications, taking advantage of features that increase your productivity and efficiency.

Employ IP telephony, connecting all branches and locations of your business, making the conversion from an outdated, inefficient network, to an industry- standard one.

Step One: Install IP Architecture

The first step in switching to VoIP phone systems takes one of two routes, depending on whether your company has POTS or a PBX. The route from POTS to VoIP phone systems is longer and more expensive, and is generally not recommended unless the monthly toll charges and fees are so unwieldy as to outweigh the high cost of converting.

However, VoIP phone systems architecture can be installed alongside the existing POTS, preserving your earlier investment. Over time, you can phase out your POTS and replace circuit- based telephones with IP- enabled ones, as you embrace IP telephony.

The process is much simpler with a PBX: The computer data network is expanded to support IP telephony on the LAN and VoIP and the WAN, creating a common infrastructure connecting all locations.

Step Two: Incorporate Applications

After a foundation for IP telephony has been built, and a converged network is in place, your company is ready to take the next step to VoIP phone systems: incorporating applications, taking advantage of integrated voice, data, and video.

VoIP phone systems enhance business communications by allowing for critical applications that improve productivity and efficiency: many applications and features that allow you to stay connected and accessible. Cell phone connect and remote call forwarding let your receive business calls when you?re out of the office, and Unified messaging gives you greater control over your voice and email messages.

VoIP phone systems keep you informed: the network has proactive monitoring programs that alert you when it needs repairs before something breaks down.

Step Three: Deploy IP Telephony

The final step in the transition to VoIP phone systems is to deploy IP telephony, creating converged communications. Deploying IP telephony and realizing the full potential of VoIP phone systems allows your company to flourish in an adaptive environment, easily integrating with multiple configurations.

This is possible because of modularization; VoIP phone systems have modular applications and components, increasing flexibility while making it a cost- effective solution.

As a completely optimized and integrated infrastructure, VoIP phone systems can save your business thousands upon thousands of dollars. VoIP phone systems eliminate fees for leasing phone lines, and greatly reduce monthly regulatory fees.

Cameron Elliott is an Telephony specialist at avaya voip phone systems where he extols the benefits of Avaya Phone Systems

Do You Text Chat (IM) Online?

IM (Instant Messaging) - man, we thought we had it made in the shade when we stumbled over this unique way to communicate! Outside of talking person-to-person on the phone, IM was the next best thing. Texting talk was endless and cost was nonexistent. Well, those were the good old days of yore ? you know, those days of glorious innocence.

Just as we were getting oh so comfortable, happily IMing away to each other, then came the cloak-and-dagger entrance of the treacherous ?IM villains?. With their ominous arrival, the party abruptly ended. It seemed like overnight, our instant messaging (IM) turned into instant mercenaries, and the carnage was strewn all over the Internet.

First, it was one by one, then the numbers increased and starting growing exponentially, as friends began receiving, and inadvertently sending, viruses, worms, and Trojan horses. Then it went from bad to worse, as report after report surfaced describing the grisly results of innocent victims losing their identity because these villains had accessed their personal and confidential information. Truly this was the darkest of times for all IMer friends ? regardless of the IM service we were texting on.

How could this have happened? And more importantly, how can we protect ourselves?

Well, I found out that these villainous hackers had accessed a nifty little program originally designed to benefit us, and twisted it to intercept our conversations traveling across the internet. They now have a profitable tool to use that intercepts our data packets and sends us a virus, and duplicates it by sending the same ugly bug to everyone on our Buddy List.

Once a hacker has gained access to our Buddy List, they trick our friends into thinking WE, (a trusted source), are sending them a file to download. Then when our friends innocently download the file, these villains can then access their computers as well, and use the personal and confidential information gathered to line their own pockets. How it affected businesses whose employees used IM to communicate?well, I will just let your imagination take over from there?because the hackers let theirs do the same.

A lot of us were thinking that we had nothing to worry about because we had anti-virus software on our computers, and that provided the protection we needed. Wrong!

Anti-virus software is not designed to protect our data packets traveling across the internet. There are still no anti-virus applications that directly monitor IM traffic. This is due to the difficulty in finding IM traffic as it is often embedded inside http packets. And what is worse yet is that Forrester?s, Root stated that ?In 2005 and 2006, we expect IM to get hit with some serious attacks??

But, don?t despair! I have discovered a cure!

In fact, I discovered the best of both worlds. What I have found is a computer phone (in ?techy? terms known as VoIP ? voice over internet protocol) that is optimally secure. One of the many features of the computer phone is the IM that is built into it. Thus, the IM instant messages are sent over optimally secure lines rather than openly public lines on the Internet -- AND I can also actually talk to friends from my computer phone any time I want. The ?good old days of yore? are back with even more !!!

Here?s what a computer phone is all about.

The computer phone was the creation resulting from taking the convenience and features of the telephone and combining it with the power of the Internet. Pretty ingenious I think! Although most computers have a built in microphone, some do not. Mine was one of those computers that did not. So, I ran down to a local store and bought one for $5. Then, much to my delight, I found out that it easily plugged into the back of my computer.

Here is what is really incredible about a computer phone. I can talk, IM, make 3-way calls, transfer a call to my cell phone if I am running out the door, and much, much more.

Actually, I have become so accustomed to the convenience of the features on my computer phone, that it actually becomes frustrating when I cannot IM a friend I am talking to on their cell phone or telephone. You see, often times, I find great sites to share with my friends, so I have to slowly spell out the location over the phone and repeat the letters so they get the right site, then wait for them to repeat it back to me, rather than quickly IMing them the site and letting them click on it right then and there.

One final word of wisdom -- over 90% of all computer phone (VoIP) services out there do not operate on secure lines. The one I am using is optimally secure because they have their own proprietary high end encryption codec (code) with patented technology that is hosted in a professional facility. You just can?t get any better than that!

Want to try a computer phone out for yourself?

You can download the software and try it out for 7 days absolutely free and without any contract, obligations, or hassles. Here?s the place to visit http://www.free-pc-phone.com Oh, and yes, you will love this?.if you use a dial up connection to the internet, these computer phones work too, in addition to satellite, cable, and wireless connections.

Dee Scrip is a well-known and respected published author of numerous articles on VoIP, VoIP security, and other VoIP related issues. http://www.free-pc-phone.com

Network Services

Ever since the break up of AT&T, companies have tried to save money on their telephone bills. First came changing your long distance carrier. You could get rates that were half or even lower then what AT&T charged. Eventually dozens of companies got involved in reselling long distance to the point where rates have gone to almost $.01 per minute.

Later on came changing your local carrier. Many companies resold the local exchange carrier's lines at a discount. Service was not as good, but the discounts were compelling for many companies.

Now the hot new thing is VoIP. You can get rid of the local phone company all together. You can get your dial tone from your cable company or though your DSL line.

Businesses can get rid of the local carrier too. High speed data lines allow businesses so get their dial tones from their ISP. The discounts are again very compelling. Be very careful, the service you get from some VoIP carriers is very poor. It's not sound quality, it's the up time. Make sure to deal with an established, reputable company and don't let promised savings blind you.

Talk with your telephone system vendor. They probably have relationships with several VoIP carriers. Get references from companies in your neighborhood. That will really help you gauge the reliablity of the service.

Keep some back up service on regular copper lines. If your VoIP service goes down, you can have your calls forwarded to your back up service. It's well worth the extra costs. http://www.teleco4.com

Andrew Taub
Telecomunictions Expert
http://www.teleco4.com

The Pros And Cons Of Using VoIP For Internet Phone Calls

The field of telecommunications is almost constantly in a state of rapid change and that is certainly true today as VoIP technology continues to grow in both quality and popularity. VoIP actually stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, and it is a way of transferring telephone calls across the internet to a distant computer or telephone without the use of your local telephone company.

A very good way to sample VoIP technology is through using instant messaging programs such as Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, and AOL Messenger. All of these programs allow you to use a microphone and a set of speakers connected to your computer to make free PC to PC audio calls. For those instant messaging programs that also include video and allow for more than two people to be connected at any one time, you can even hold your own internet video conference easily and inexpensively thanks to VoIP technology.

All you have to do is download one of these above mentioned programs free of charge, install it on your computer, and connect up your microphone and speakers, to be able to sample this technology and see if you like it or not. If you do, and chances are that you will, you can then sign up for a VoIP subscription plan with one of the major VoIP providers to let you take full advantage of all of the features that VoIP has to offer.

One of the big advantages of VoIP subscription plans is their minimal cost when compared to local telephone companies. When you start shopping these plans you'll see a large difference in cost between them and what you pay for your telephone service now, and that is no doubt the most attractive feature of VoIP technology to most consumers.

However, there are a few drawbacks to using VoIP for telephone communications that you should also be aware of. First of all, you will most likely need a high speed internet connection in order to get the best results when using a VoIP application or program. It can be done on a dial-up connection, but your results can be very spotty and inconsistent, sometimes even downright frustrating. On a high speed connection though, you should experience voice quality that very closely rivals that of land line telephones.

One other consideration is that it can be difficult to call 911 using a VoIP program if you don't know where you are. 911 operators are unable to perform a trace on calls that originate from an IP telephone or computer, so there would be no way to locate the caller if they cannot identify exactly where they are. However, VoIP providers are currently working on this problem and hope to have a solution soon.

As you can see, there are both advantages and disadvantages to using VoIP technology for your telephone communications. By being aware of both the pros and cons, you should be able to make an informed decision about whether or not VoIP will work for you.

Steadman Issenburg writes on many consumer related topics including communication. You can find a voip broadband phone provider and voip broadband phone service and more by visiting our communication website.

Is Your VoIP Hosted PBX Provider Blind to Your Troubles?

A recent survey conducted by Emprix revealed that more than one third of all VoIP service providers, which includes Hosted PBX service, are unable to recognize they have a service quality problem until a customer complaint is received.

In a world where mission critical business applications routinely flow through data networks, it is distressing that no monitoring capability exists for many service providers of our newest and best technology. In the enterprise market, the financial viability of a business can very well depend on a vendor?s technical strength and on their capability to proactively monitor and fix problems before the end user is affected.

Before selecting a vendor for your VoIP Hosted PBX service make sure they are equipped with the proper Network Management System (NMS) for their VoIP deployments, one that allows their Network Operations and Field Technicians to identify and troubleshoot VoIP problems without relying upon a complaint from you to trigger an action on their part.

Your Hosted PBX provider should have the capability to proactively monitor detailed call quality statistics including MOS, jitter, latency, and other measurements. State-of-the-Art network monitoring systems have advanced diagnostics linked to an online knowledgebases that automatically provide network technicians with troubleshooting tips. This capability dramatically reduces the effort and time required to identify the root cause of poor quality calls, and more importantly it reduces the time that your business is affected by the trouble.

Their system should also incorporate trend analysis and pro-active notification of poor VoIP call performance so that the network technician is able to identify and resolve issues that would otherwise impact VoIP service delivery to your business. With the proper network management system, in the event that you do have a problem, it is likely that the trouble can be rectified remotely rather than waiting for a time-consuming truckroll.

When you are in the process of evaluating Hosted PBX service offerings, make sure that your evaluation criteria is heavily weighted to include the vendor's network monitoring capabilities, and that they have the proper tools to effectively measure, monitor and manage all of their VoIP endpoints.

Whatever you do, don't buy VoIP service from a blind provider.

VOIP/Net Phone Revolution

Have you seen them? The commercials about Net phones and how they can save you a ton of money on long-distance? Okay, so now you want to know how it works, what's in it for you, are there any hidden charges that will have me paying the same if not more per month than my current, reliable land-line phone, Am I going to sound like E.T. attempting to phone home on this thing and what are they not telling me that could nix the whole deal? Well, here you are.

How it works:

VOIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol, is just that. Your voice is sent in what are known as packets, accross the internet and re-assembled at the receiving end. Kind of like that machine in the The Fly, only a lot more stable (no incects messing up your DNA or anything). You plug your internet connection (which must be broadband, DSL or Cable) into your modem (as usual), you then plug the modem into your adapter, and then connect your adapter to your other devices (Phone, Fax, Computer).

Not that difficult, but since configurations vary from provider to provider,I urge you to check it out yourself.

What's in if for you:

Lower prices. Truthfully, VOIP delivers on it's promise of lower prices. There are taxes and fees, but they will only bump your final monthly bill about 2 to 3 dollars. Quality, still lags behind land line, but that is to be expected. What is not to be expected how far VOIP quality has come in a short amount of time. Many people never notice a difference between speaking to someone using VOIP and speaking to someone using land line technology (See Net Phones Grow Up by Jeff Betolucci and Tom Kortie, PC World, September 2005).

What Are They Not Telling Me That Could Nix the Whole Deal?

There are a couple of concerns with VOIP. One is that, with VOIP relying on an internet connection, if your internet connection is down for some reason, you have no phone. The other concern is 911. 911 systems and VOIP vendors have not been playing nice in the sandbox. Fortunately, E911 is being enforced by the FCC and all VOIP vendors must provide 911 service that rivals that of landline users by November 28, 2005. So, basically, the second issue is no longer an issue.

What's the difference between Net Phones and a Service like Skype?

Skype requires a PC for both users. It is PC to PC communication. There is no true Phone, while Net Phone uses your phone and a portable adapter. The adapter can be taken on the road and used anywhere you find a high-speed connection. Skype is not a replacement for your current phone service, net phone is. You can bypass the phone company completely. You don't end up paying for services that the phone company charges you for, like voicemail, 3-Way calling, Call-Forwarding, etc.,; these fees are all covered in your $25-$40 a month for unlimited calls.

Economically, VOIP makes sense. You get comparable quality for a much lower price and more standard features. Hopefully this will help you make a more informed decision or at the very least help you decide if VOIP is right for you or your small/home business.

Yolanda McDonald is Business Systems Analyst in Baltimore, MD. She has 15 years of experience in programming, design and analysis on several platforms including Midrange, Client/Server and the Internet. You can find more of her articles at http://www.ymcdonald.com.

Save Money On Long Distance 5 Ways

Considering VoIP? Do you make plenty of long distance calls or just a few? Do you spend a fortune no matter what you do to lower your rates? Call after 9pm. Wait until the weekend to share your good news with those across the ocean? Perhaps you even have stopped using the services at all? You can stay connected with those that you love no matter where they are located. Have a look at the following ways to save money on long distance:

1.Do you VoIP? The first thing that you can do is to consider the service known as VoIP. This service uses a technology called voice over internet protocol to allow you to talk over the web instead of talking over your phone lines. The installation of equipment is fairly painless and the fee for the equipment is usually a one time thing. If you have a service provider that provides VoIP in your area, you may want to look into it. Why? No additional long distance fees!

2.Ready for some comparison shopping? You can compare the prices on those long distance companies that offer service within your area. Which have the best rates overall? Which will offer both high quality service and excellent prices? Narrow down your list to a few. Do some more research ? check out consumerguides.com or some other online reviews.

3.Do you really need long distance? Next on your list of ways to lower your rates is to consider getting rid of any and all of your long distance all together. Many people have found that cell phones are an excellent way to make all the calls that you need to. You?ll need to compare how much you use your service and how much it will cost you to use the correct, no roaming cell service. Only keep a land line for emergency reasons.

4.Keep an eye out for deals! Some will use programs such as late night and weekend calling to get the best rates available. Many long distance companies are out there that offer excellent programs. Some allow for you to purchase long distance for only a limited area. Watch for packages and deals that are always coming out.

5.Some offer a flat rate service - Look into the unlimited long distance programs that are available in your area. Many companies are offering a flat rate service. If you make enough calls this is a great way to save money

Mike Singh is a webmaster and successful publisher of why-switch-to-voip.com. He provides more articles dealing with VoIP such as disadvantages of VoIP.

Take Advantage of Internet Phone Calls (VOIP)

Voice Over IP (VOIP) is a relatively new technology. Voice Over IP allows people to leave behind the old and very traditional analogue phone networks and now adapt in favor of the very new and very progressive Internet-based calling system infrastructure. Using this technology for your communications actually works out cheaper for you in the long run as it means you won't need to pay for calls if the people you are calling and speaking to are also using the same VOIP system.

Voice Over IP runs on several different types of infrastructure. This is the main reason why you should take the time to do your homework and find out how it works and what is involved, before you even consider setting up a Voice Over IP network at your home or place of business. When you do your homework you will see that invariably VOIP offers lots of advantages over and above the standard traditional telephone based analogue service that most people are currently using. Let's take a moment to examine some of the advantages of using Voice Over IP.

The main advantage of Voice Over IP is to be honest - the cost - the cost benefit goes directly back into your pocket. And because Voice Over IP uses the infrastructure of the Internet to make outgoing calls, you will never need to pay your traditional phone provider to maintain a telephone line or for phone and line rental. In addition, many Voice Over IP service providers allow customers to make long distance calls that attract minimal or no long distance charges at all. Many service providers even offer customer VOIP packages that allow you to opt for discounted internet call rates so you can save even more.

But what about this for a benefit? If you have Voice Over IP software installed on your PC and you want to speak to someone who is also uses Voice Over IP, then you are able to talk for as long as you want without having to pay a single cent. This is because your voice is actually transformed into digital data packets rather than audio, and the data is transferred in a similar fashion to that of email. Voice Over IP also makes it very easy and cheap to conduct conference calls and video calls.

There are, of course, some minor disadvantages to using Voice Over IP and you should consider these before you embark on setting up Voice Over IP. Since Voice Over IP is a relatively recent and largely untapped technology, Voice Over IP is prone to experience more errors than using a normal phone would. In addition, if you experience a power failure, then you would be unable to make a call, like you could with a traditional analogue phone. In any event, Voice Over IP is something that you should investigate for your own home and business needs and you should consider it soon while the rates are cheap and the deals are good.

Colin Brin is the owner of AB Voip which is a premier source of information about Voip. For more information, go to: http://abvoip.com

VoIP Telephony ? Time to Cut Your Apron Strings

It?s time to fire your mother.

Well, not your real mother, but that other mother who?s ruled you with a copper fist for most of your life: Ma Bell.

Don?t get me wrong; you can appreciate everything the Bell phone companies have done for you over the years. Life would be bleak and you wouldn?t be able to work or keep up with family and friends without your telephone service.

Some of you may be old enough to remember rotary dial phones and having to get an operator to make a long distance call. Maybe you?re not old enough to have been on a party line, but you may remember your parents or grandparents talking about having to share a line with their neighbors.

My, how times have changed. And now you can kick Ma out of your home and office for good. Not to switch exclusively to using a cell phone as many have (a new email is making the rounds that tells of another scientific study showing prolonged cell phone use can cause brain tumors), but because you can have VoIP!

You may not be the kind of person who embraces a new technology right away, so it doesn?t have to be a sudden breakup with Ma Bell. You can keep her on for while if you?re afraid to cut the fiber optic umbilical cord and unconditionally accept this new broadband telephone technology until you know how it works.

That?s what I did. For a while I had two telephones on my desk: the Bell phone for incoming calls and my VoIP phone for outgoing calls ? especially for long distance, since it now costs nothing.

Once you have Voice over IP you won?t be able to imagine paying anything to make long distance calls in the U.S. and Canada, or paying $80 or more a month to get a few hundred minutes of long distance on a cell phone.

If you have a contract with a Bell company or reseller, you may be hesitant to buy out the contract. But do the math. Figure out how much it will cost you to buy out the contract (mine charged $20 for each unused month). Then figure out how much you?ll pay if you stay with that company for the length of the contract. Subtract the cost of the buy-out and that?s how much money you?ll save in the long run.

You can probably cut your phone bill in half and have a clearer phone line. If you have a separate long distance company, you can fire them immediately because you?ll get unlimited local and long distance with VoIP for a flat, low monthly rate.

You may worry that when there?s a power or cable outage, your phone won?t work. True, but you?ll have a control panel that you programmed to tell your VoIP server to automatically forward your calls to your cell phone when the VoIP connection is out.

So, maybe it?s time for you to join 17-million other VoIP user and say, ?Sorry, Ma, we?ve grown up and we?re moving on.?

? Copyright 2006. Annette Estes. All rights reserved. Permission to reprint granted as long as entire article and tag line are included.

Annette Estes is a Certified Professional Behavioral and Values Analyst. She?s a life coach specializing in helping people save money. She is an award-winning columnist and author. Her book Why Can?t You See It My Way? Resolving Values Conflicts at Work and Home is in its fourth printing. Annette was a television news anchor for 15 years at WYFF-TV and WSPA-TV. One of her missions is to help others understand VoIP technology. You can subscribe to her free newsletter at http://www.BestVoipTips.com.

Why Should You Switch To VoIP?

By now, you've probably heard about the new technology called VoIP, or Voice Over IP. VoIP is a replacement for a standard telephone and phone line. It uses your high-speed internet connection instead of regular phone lines. Millions of people all over the world are embracing this new technology. Should you?

Let's take a look at the benefits and features. After all, you should make an educated decision and not just an instant decision. So why is VoIP so great?

- Price. VoIP's price, most of the time, will beat standard phone rates. Companies usually offer free long distance and foreign calling ? so you could call someone on the other side of the world for the same price as a friend down the street. On the other hand, price would not be a huge advantage if you pay per minute with a standard phone and make only 2 short calls a month!

- Computer compatibility. You can use your computer as your phone instead of using a regular-style phone. Why would you do this? Well, with some computer software, you can share documents, messages, and videos (think webcam plus audio) with friends that also have VoIP.

- More features. VoIP isn't just a normal phone technology. It usually comes with many different features that you would have to pay for or couldn't even get with a regular phone service, like free caller-ID, conference calls, on-hold music, free voicemail, and more.

These are just some of the basic new VoIP features. Some companies even offer unique services and bonuses, so be sure to examine what you get so that you can fully compare between companies.

If, right now, you are thinking that VoIP is right for you, why not try it? After all, many companies offer a 30-day (or longer) money-back guarantee, so if you decide you're not happy with it, just ask for your money back!

Free VoIP Articles on VoIP Services & Solutions

Keith Gilbert is the author and webmaster of http://www.freevoiptips.com.

Weeding The VoIP Garden

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is fast becoming the way for the world to communicate and the VoIP market jungle is full of weeds wanting to become trees.

VoIP has been around for the public market since 2002 and you can only find about a handful of stand alone VoIP service providers. Vonage who is the king of marketing still clings to its ?Woo Hoo? song and their ever rising marketing costs and lower profits. Packet8, the old pioneer of Internet phone service, is chugging away while building up consumer confidence and new innovative VoIP products. We see Lingo, who likes to push their International calling plans, struggling to regain ground on the rest of field, and the new kid in the garden, SunRocket, who brings their trusty Bottom-Line pricing along for the new growth of VoIP. These and a few other companies are around for the long haul.

It is important in these early growth stages to weed out those who are trying to choke out the main growth. These are VoIP providers who are only in for the early money grabbing glory days and will die off when the heat starts to beat down on them.

If you are looking for a new VoIP service provider you need to take a few hours and weed out the jungle. You can check out the online VoIP news reports for their achievements and future plans, find and study the VoIP forums. Internet phone providers who have little or no news at all are mainly the ones that will die out. You?ll find that the strong growing VoIP companies are bringing new and improve products and services to the field everyday. Researching like this can be tough going and very time consuming.

Another option is to locate an independent VoIP, broadband or telecommunication consultant who is consistently researching and learning about the new VoIP services and products offered. These consultants are not being paid by just one provider or company to sell only their products. They are able to give you unbiased advice concerning the services you are considering. They can tell you the pros and cons of each individual provider even for those who they don?t represent.

Using an independent telecom consultant will ease the pain and time in finding that right VoIP or broadband phone provider especially in this weed choked Internet phone garden. An independent consultant will be able to inform you of what all of the top VoIP providers are doing with new services, products and future plans for the leading VoIP solutions. The great thing is you get all of your information in a few minutes and its free (Do Not Pay For Consulting).

For more information on VoIP services, products and news contact: http://www.altabroadband.bravehost.com

Voice Over Internet Protocol A Few Things You Need To Know First

Unless you have had your head in the sand lately you will have heard of VOIP. Everyone seems to be talking about VOIP, but you can be forgiven for probably not knowing much about it. VOIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol and if you believe the media hype this new phone service is about to revolutionise the telecommunications market. As with a lot of new technological developments there are a few causes for concerns that you probably will not hear the marketing campaigns talk about.

What is it?

Just to give you a bit of background lets take a look at how VOIP works for those of you that are unsure. You will need to have a broadband Internet connection and to then open an account with one of the many new VOIP providers. By having an account with a VOIP provider you will be able to make a telephone call through your computer and its Internet connection. Many VOIP providers will allow you to call another user on their system for free or phone a standard telephone number for a low cost. Without getting too technical, VOIP works by converting your voice into lots of small packets of data. These data packets are then routed through the Internet to your VOIP provider?s servers, and then onto the person you are calling. The reason people are raving about this new service is the cost. It is much cheaper than a standard fixed line telephone and you will also get all the same services.

Is there a downside?

Now we do not want to put you off setting up a VOIP service, but we think you should know a couple of things before you do. Obviously low cost telephone calls is a very attractive offer, but there are drawbacks to VOIP. One a major issue you need to be aware of is that a VOIP service requires you to have a power supply, as it requires your computer to be on. This means should your electricity be out you will not be able to use your phone. In some circumstances this could just be a minor inconvenience, but in an emergency situation it may be much more serious. In heavy storms and natural disasters electricity power is often lost first. Would you really want to be without a phone?

Should your PC decide to stop working for whatever reason, you?ll be left without a phone. Computers are prone to crashing and should this happen, you will not be able to make any phone calls. A concern of a different issue, is one of security. Because your phone calls will be transported as data via the Internet, you will be opening up the possibility of having your phone system hacked into. A scary thought, especially for business users.

As we said previously, it is not our intention to put you off VOIP. We actually think it is a great service with so much going for it. It is something that you should look into setting up, and you can find out the most current developments from our website (link below). We just want to give you the full picture though so you can make an informed choice.

Take a look at VOIP Basics top ten things you need to know.

VOIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol.

VOIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol is a new way for you to make a telephone call.

You will need to get yourself a broadband internet connection in order to set up a VOIP service.

There are more and more companies setting up VOIP services. Skype is probably the most known.

VOIP works by converting the sound of your voice into tiny packets of data and then transmitting these via the internet.

Your PC needs to be on in order to use a VOIP service, which could be a drawback should your electricity be off.

VOIP services provide extremely cheap calls.

Think about the possible security issues as your internet connection could be hacked.

Should your PC get a virus this could stop you using the phone if you are on a VOIP service.

Many VOIP providers will allow you to call another of there users for free anywhere in the world.

Seymour Brown writes articles for http://www.voip-basics.com