How To Compare Residential VOIP Offerings
Posted by Joseph Brochin
By Jon Arnold
Many people are turning to VOIP phone for several different reasons, the biggest reason being cost. The landline telephone has been in existence for one hundred years; however, many people are finding that VOIP offers a great deal more, for a great deal less. There is one requirement though, you must have a broadband connection, otherwise known as a highspeed Internet connection. While there are some minor differences between the traditional telephone and a VOIP phone, many people simply enjoy the money saving features.
What cost savings you say? With a VOIP phone (using your highspeed Internet connection to make and receive phone calls), you can make unlimited local and usually also unlimited long distance calls in the continental US for one price, where that one price is frequently less than the cost of just getting a DIAL TONE from your local phone company. Is it starting to make more sense now?
With VOIP, you receive comparable reliability and quality of traditional telephone service without all the added fees we tend to experience from our phone company. Have you ever opened your bill and noticed the big jump in cost? Here is a personal example, this writer has experienced with a local telephone company. I simply have a phone, yes some of the perks as well, such as call waiting, call waiting plus, caller ID, and caller ID plus. When I ordered the service, of course it was all conveniently placed in a package that was to cost me $35 a month. Imagine my surprise when I open my phone bill and it was $89 for the month, that is just the phone, does not include the cost of internet, which put the bill over $100.
Now you are probably thinking well long distance calls will do that. Yes, it would, except I purposely do not have long distance on my telephone, so that was not the case in this scenario. I had a ton of hidden charges for this, that, and everything else. Now with a VOIP phone, it hooks up directly to your internet connection, and most VOIP providers offer several different packages that are designed to fit both your needs and your budget. For example, one company offers unlimited long distance calling, local calling, plus all the perks such as E-911 service, voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, Call forwarding, 3-way calling, and such others, for only $24.99. That is your bill, one flat rate each month. Tell me, which you would rather pay, $89 a month or $24.99 for just about the same service. The choice is clear.
When considering a VOIP phone it is important that you do some comparison shopping. The internet is full of fabulous deals from VOIP providers and it is important that you take a look at the various companies and find the one that fits your needs, as well as your budget. Another thing about VOIP is that you can choose from several different packages with each provider. Some may include a VOIP phone line with long distance, without long distance, or for multiple phone lines, perfect for kid’s phone or a home office.
There are some disadvantages to VOIP service. For example, your fax machine may not work reliably over the VOIP. Furthermore, if you have satellite internet within your home, you may find that the VOIP fails to work in a reliable manner as well. It is very important that you do your homework, finding out exactly what options you have, and what works best for your specific needs.
Jon is a computer engineer and long-term world traveler who maintains many websites to pass along his knowledge and findings. You can read more about VOIP and a comparison of popular VOIP offerings at his web site at http://www.voipinsideinfo.com
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3 Smart Ways To Trim Monthly Telephone Expenses
Posted by Joseph Brochin
Three smart strategies to trim down your monthly telephone expense
by bob.letterman
These days consumers are definitely feeling the pinch of escalating prices. From the gas pump to the grocery market, costs are leaping higher. But the phone bill is an area where smart folks can still save. For most people, phone related expenses are a significant element in the family budget. Notwithstanding the fact that telecom costs have dropped considerably in recent years, this remains a cost that can be cut through prudent planning. These techniques will help you achieve this goal.
Tip 1: Switch over to a shared-use plan on your cell phone bill
According to data published by the Kiplinger Letter, the average cell phone bill in the United States runs approximately $55 a month. You might ask how the average could be $55 given that so many ads for cell phone providers promoting $29 or $39 plans. Part of the reason is that a few power callers spend $79, $89 or more per month. Part of the reason is taxes and miscellaneous charges such as 411. But a major reason is the fact that cell phone companies hit you on “overage”. Letâ��s say youâ��ve got 1,000 peak minutes and this month you hit 1,099. At thirty or forty cents per minute on overage, your cell bill suddenly rockets up twenty dollars. Seem familiar? The next month you get to 900 minutes but you donâ��t see a corresponding reduction on your bill. Some providers claim to solve this problem for you by allowing you to rollover your. And the rollover does help increase your peak minutes quota for the following. But even then, you still get assessed overage if you exceed your increased peak minutes quota.
Shared use plans are the most elegant solution for this dilemma. Also called “family-plans”, these plans allow you to aggregate all of the minutes of 2 or more users into a bucket. Since variability is typically a function of individual usage patterns, these variability quotients tend to cancel each other out. Think of it this way: if you and your spouse both have individual plans for 1,000 minutes and one month you get to 1,100 minutes and your spouse reaches 900 minutes, youâ��re in for overage surcharges to the tune of 100 minutes. If you have a family plan, your total comes in at 2,000 minutes and no overage!
Tip 2: Don�t use your regular long distance provider to make international calls
Most long distance phone companies offer very good rates for domestic long distance. If you are a frequent user on a good plan you are probably paying less than five cents on a per minute basis. The problem is that international rates are still relatively high. For example, fifty cents a minute to South Asia is typical, even if you pay the four or five dollars a month many providers charge for the privilege of getting lower rates.
In recent years, there has been an explosion of superior options. Sometimes called “PINLESS” dialing plans, these offerings allow you to call anywhere in the world at rates forty to seventy percent less from your landline or cell without needing to dial a pin code. If you type “cheap international calling” into a search engine youâ��ll see a plethora of options. The basic way they work is that callers register one or more phone numbers and input a credit card number. They offer you a toll-free number and when you dial this number from a registered phone, you can call any country without needing a PIN code. Using the above example, one could reduce the charge from 50 cents to 15 cents per minute.
Tip 3: Use a free teleconferencing service
For a lot of families, phone charges escalate because of the need to have multiple conversations between family members on the same topics. It is inefficient but this is the way most of us have learned to cope. In the last five years, there have been literally dozens of companies that have launched free teleconferencing services. All of them work on the same basic idea: they give you a PIN and a toll number to call. If all participants dial the same number and enter the same PIN, they are put into a group call. Apart from regular toll charges, there are no charges assessed by the providers. If you have a large extended family, one thirty minute call could easily substitute for five to ten one-to-one discussions for planning a trip or family event.
Unfortunately, it is often a bit of a hassle to actually arrange these calls in the first place; consumers often are therefore reluctant to familiarize themselves with the mechanics of setting up a conference call. Rondee is an example of a free conference calling service which is working on addressing this issue. It offers consumers a way to schedule the conference on-line, have the invitations emailed out and show the responses tracked on the website. As with many corporate grade conference call companies, Rondee allows calls to be recorded.
With consumer prices rising, there�s not a lot most of us can do to fight back. But phone expense is an area where being smart can mean substantial savings. Applying these three tips will save the typical consumer 30% to 50% monthly, or several hundred dollars on a yearly basis.
About the Author
About the author:
Bob Letterman speaks and writes frequently about communication topics. He consults to a number of industries that use communication technologies as part of an integrated approach to increase productivity. His clients include free conference calling services such as Rondee.
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