VoIP :: A New Era?

Following the arrival of VoIP, or Voice Over Internet Protocol, the internet techies have been raving about it, and it is now one of the hottest new technologies around, but what is it and why is it talked about so much?

Well let's begin with what VoIP is. In short, it allows you to make phone calls over the internet using your broadband connection, but has many benefits:

- You can make phone calls from virtually anywhere in the world to anywhere else using your computer.

- Depending on the speed of your connection, you are able to make several calls at the same time.

- If you move home, you are able to keep your same number, even if you move from one side of the world to the other. As you do not have an actual land line, but a converter that has a number assigned, as long as keep the converter with you, you can plug it into any broadband connection and immediately utilize your usual number for making and receiving calls.

Another benefit of VoIP, which many will find useful, and be an attractive feature for many businesses, is the ability to connect to your office phone, whether it be from a hotel or from home. This will enable company personnel to work out of the office, but still have access to all of the office phone system features.

VoIP can also be very cost effective, especially when making long-distance calls. This factor has meant that telephone service providers have to compete with VoIP, in turn ensuring pricing is much more competitive.

At the beginning, the voice quality for those using VoIP was not as good as with a traditional phone line. However the continual technological advancements have meant that the difference in quality is now not as apparent.

So how does it work?

To begin with your voice is converted into bytes so that it can be compressed, split it into packets, and transmitted over the internet. These packets, which contain a collection of information, including the origin, timestamp, and intended destination of the packet, is then converted at the receivers end so that your voice is recognised.

There are many that are already abandoning existing telephone networks and solely using VoIP. For a wealth of information on VoIP take a look at http://www.voip-serviceproviders.info.

Justin Brown owns and runs http://www.voip-serviceproviders.info where visitors can read more information on VoIP service providers. He also runs a site where you can sell or buy any used cars online

VoIP - A Closer Look At Choosing An Internet Phone Service

Voice-over Internet protocol (VoIP) services are certainly becoming more and more popular and for the most part it's because they are a quality alternative to traditional landline and cell phone based calling plans. I'm no prophet but the future of the technology and how people make phone calls is definitely pointing towards VoIP.

As is the case with most new technologies trying to decipher through all the hype and claims is a daunting task indeed and with companies popping up left and right to grab their share of this ever increasing pie, it gets more challenging by the day.

So what do you do? Well, on the positive side, virtually all of these new web-based phone services (VoIP) are packed with features, including unlimited local and long-distance calls and yet, they cost less than most traditional plans. Another plus is how simple they are to set up. Most simply require that you plug your regular phone into an adapter connected to your computer.

Of course, what is and what isn't essential in any plan is debatable but a few "essentials" you may want to consider when choosing which VoIP provider to go with are outlined below.

Connection Compatibility
One of the few VoIP requirements is a high speed connection but with the ever expanding reach of broadband into all parts of the country access to a high speed connection is no longer restricted to just the major metropolitan areas. That being said, all high speed connections don't provide enough performance to handle IP calls, so before you start researching different service plans you should take a look at Test Your VoIP (http://www.testyourvoip.com) to see if your connection is up to snuff. The test is free and it should take less than 30 seconds.

Assess Your Calling Needs
You need to ask yourself a few questions before you go out and select a provider because if you don't know what you're looking for it's pretty difficult to find it. A few questions you should consider are: What do you want most out of your phone provider? Are you looking to just cut costs?

A basic plan that offers a bunch of long-distance minutes is extremely inexpensive and if that's all you care about perhaps that's the route you should take. On the other hand, if you want business flexibility you should consider a small business package that costs more, but adds services like conferencing, a separate fax line, even an 800 number.

Want to take it on the road? Vonage (http://www.vonage.com) and others offer "soft phone" services, which let you make and receive calls on your PC. Another option to consider is where you place the most calls. If you make a ton of international calls, you might want to consider one of the smaller players like Lingo (http://www.lingo.com), Broadvoice (http://www.broadvoice.com) or CingUCel (http://www.cingucell.com) that offer unlimited dialing to select countries. Another nice VoIP feature is that most providers treat calls to Canada as domestic long distance. Determine where you call the most and then match the most appropriate service to your needs.

Feature Comparison
Virtually all VoIP service packages will exceed the minimal call waiting and voice mail bundles of traditional phone services. One example, CallVantage (http://www.usa.att.com/callvantage/index.jsp?) from AT&T may cost a bit more than some but it includes a useful call forwarding capability that will try to find you by ringing up to five different phone numbers when you aren't home.

You'll have to decide after shopping around whether you feel comfortable going with one of the smaller startups or if you should stick with one of the big players. With the big players you'll usually pay $5 or $10 more per month more for the "peace of mind" of a well-known brand name like AT&T or Vonage (http://www.vonage.com) which are currently the two largest VoIP providers in the market.

Verizon VoiceWing (http://www22.verizon.com) is fairly new to this ever increasing niche but with its merger with MCI it operates under one of the biggest brands in the telephony world. Once again, it's clearly up to you and your comfort level but if a service has fewer than 100,000 subscribers, you may want to look closely before jumping in.

Cold Turkey
Like all new technology VoIP continues to improve and the result is better call quality and service levels but switching cold turkey may not be the best idea. With many providers offering 30-day money back guarantees (always read the terms carefully) you can test the waters and ease into the transition. Initially, you may want to consider switching to VoIP on a second line and then, if you're happy, make the full transition.

This article may be reproduced only in its entirety.

Kevin Erickson is an entrepreneur and writer. You'll find more of his work at: VoIP Solutions | Wireless Internet | Trade Shows

VoIP And Local Telephone Companies

With VoIP technology entering the mainstream, it brings the possibilities or huge profits for the companies that provide the service. The current promise of cost savings is driving more and more residential and business users to investigate this technology. But the local telephone companies are not going to give up customers without a fight.

There is a current mandate by the US federal government that all VoIP providers offer E911 service. The initial blocking of this information was with the public switched telephone network maintained by the major telephone companies

The next stumbling block is ?naked DSL? or DSL access without local phone service. This service is rare, but without it a residence would not be able to use VoIP as their primary phone service mechanism. You see, DSL is running over your existing phone line provided by your local telephone company. Drop your local phone service and you?ll probably drop your broadband DSL access as well. (Cable broadband access is a viable solution here and the increased cost in cable access should be offset by the reduction on your monthly phone bill)

These are just two fronts in the battle over VoIP. Should companies be compensated for the infrastructures they build? Should E911 service be ?free? and offered as a public service? What about the existing phone service run into our homes? Who pays for those lines to be laid and hooked into the public switched telephone network?

There really are no easy answers to the questions above. The phone companies are not about to give up customers without a fight. They have years and billions of dollars spent in building one of the most reliable communications networks ?currently? known to us.

Is VoIP the next step in the evolving communications industry? How will this play out with phone companies offering internet and TV services and cable providers offering phone and internet service? The line is being blurred and yet the technology pushes forward.

I don?t have the answers, only questions. I know how I?d like to see it all play out, but alas, there is no Nirvana and no, it would seem we all cannot get along. Not when there?s literally billions of dollars at stake. There will be winners and losers as this war rages on, but it is my hope that we, the end users, will, in the end, be better for it. After all, we?ve been down this path many times before and it?s turned out ok.

Remember the advent of the PC and where we?ve gone since then? Remember the first bulky cellular phones vs. what?s available today? Yes, TV?s, radios, computers, phones the list goes on. Technology advances will continue to push us into new directions. I?m sure that in the end, VoIP will be as commonplace as the home computer.

We can leverage this technology today in a cost effective manner. Like any technology how you implement VoIP will make the difference. Whether you?re a residential or business user, there can be an immediate benefit. Check with your communications broker to find out if your existing phone needs can be met cost effectively with VoIP.: FullService Broadband Provider offers free, unbiased information on broadband and communications technology. Our free service is made possible through Try Right Technology, Inc.

What Is VOIP and Why Does It Matter?

One of the latest services available online is called Voice Over IP, or VoIP. Its also sometimes called internet telephony or broadband phone service.

VoIP lets users make phone calls using the Internet instead of the regular telephone network. With VoIP service, users can make calls using their computer or, by adding a special adaptor, using a regular phone. As VoIP services continue to improve, they're even being used by large companies to replace their traditional internal phone systems.

How do you use VoIP? First you need a broadband connection to the Internet. A cable or DSL connection will do just fine. Then you need a VoIP service provider. VoipProvidersList.com lists thousands of VoIP providers serving over 100 countries, and could be a good place to start.

You may want to simply connect a headset to your computer, or you may choose to use a telephone handset with a USB connection to your computer. You may even decide to buy an adaptor for your existing telephone, or a special VOIP phone that can provide many advanced features. However you choose to make your calls, the most significant difference between VoIP and regular telephone calls is the price. With many services, VoIP, you can call anywhere in the country for free, and even international calls may cost only a few cents per minute.

Pete Binder is a HUGE fan of all things VOIP, the Webmaster of http://tuxvoip.com and the author of this article. For more on this important topic, please visit http://www.tuxvoip.com.