VoIP

Get onboard with this technology and cut your phone bills! By Rick Castellini, MCP Special to PRIME Even though long distance phone rates are currently almost nil, if you make the right choices, you can learn to save money on your phone bill. And any possible savings is a plus in today's economy. An Internet technology called VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) can possibly help you add extra dollars to your pocket while give you better services at the same time. VoIP allows phone calls to be made over the Internet instead of a phone line.reliably and inexpensively. Sorting through the various options for phone service can be daunting. Long distance and your cell plan Too many people overlook long distance because they think it is included in their cell phone plan. Cell phone plans don't include anything for free! You pay for every item despite the claims. For instance, if you pay for 600 minutes per month for your cell phone, but only use 150, you are not getting free long distance. Learn about the choices you have and study how you use your telecommunications options, and you may be able to save more money by scaling back your cell phone plan. Computer, calling and VoIP VoIP uses a technology called computer telephony to route audio through the Internet. When VoIP first started, calls could only be made between members on the same network. This type of VoIP is still alive and well through your popular instant messaging programs like Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger. Using these programs with a microphone and the speakers attached to your computer, you can make a "call" to anyone, anywhere in the world using the same service. The call is free and works quite well if you have a high speed Internet connection. In fact, using these services, you can make a "video phone call" as well. VoIP has matured over the past three years to the point now that you can make free or low-cost calls to an actual phone using services like Skype (www.skype.com) and Google Talk (talk.google.com) from your computer. Actual phone handsets that connect to your computer and use this technology also are increasingly available from retailers online and in consumer electronic stores. VoIP and broadband connections The biggest push, however, stems from the broadband Internet and cable companies like Comcast, Verizon, Bresnan, and Road Runner. Almost every major cable Internet company today offers "broadband packages" that bundle your TV, Internet, and telephone services into one package. Three services, one bill and a great price. All of the packages offer unlimited domestic long distance service for a low flat fee any time of the day, any day of the week. The keyword is packages . you must buy all three services in many cases. VoIP and your business Business users have used VoIP services for years and get their service either from large networking firms or the phone company. Business VoIP users save considerable money every month using VoIP phone services versus a traditional phone connection. Medium and large businesses with offices in multiple cities benefit greatly by being able to make "local" calls between each office. Getting VoIP service To simply add VoIP service to your existing high speed Internet plan, many other companies offer stand-alone services. Some of the more popular plans come from: Vonage www.vonage.com Lingo www.lingo.com Broadvoice www.broadvoice.com In addition to offering unlimited, any time, any day long distance for the United States, all these services offer extremely low international calling rates as well. In fact, some plans include free calling to Canada and Mexico and parts of the Caribbean. Again, to use these services, you need to be hooked up to a high speed Internet connection such as cable or DSL. These services use your existing phones and usually include many more services like call waiting, voice mail, call forwarding and more at no additional cost as opposed to the nickel and dime approach from the phone company when you add services. And with the phone transfer legislation that was enacted in 2005, you can even keep your existing phone number. Not everything is peaches and cream with any type of technology and the same holds true for VoIP. The downsides to the service that I can see are: the fact that it is new and different (which scares people); 911 services are spotty, they areworking to adapt to these types of services which can't be tracked like a regular phone line; voice quality can sometimes be lacking; and the phone hardware is slightly more expensive than traditional phones. Still, I am amazed at how much VoIP has grown since I last wrote about it. All indications point to a world where all voice calls will be made via VoIP in probably less than ten years. Getting on board today will save you money, give you more services, and give you greater flexibility as to whom and when you make telephone calls. Search sites like www.howstuffworks.com or www.wikipedia.com to learn even more about VoIP. Rick Castellini is an author, computer consultant, and hosts a nationally syndicated computer radio show. Visit his web site at www.HelpMeRick.com for new tips every week and sign up for his free weekly email newsletter.