Most people don't know that they already have everything
they need to start saving money using internet telephony, or
VoIP. All you have to have is a regular telephone and
high-speed internet access. That's it! If you have both of
those, you are ready to start saving loads of money on local
and long distance phone calls.
It is inevitable that VOIP will replace traditional
telephone service at some point. The only question is when
should you jump in?
VOIP is quickly becoming more reliable and receiving
wider acceptance. In fact, phone companies are already
taking advantage of the technology to provide cheaper long
distance rates. Like any emerging technology, however, there
are kinks in the system that are still being worked out.
Advantages:
Internet Phone Service has numerous advantages over
traditional telephone service. The most obvious is the cost
benefits. If you have a high-speed internet connection, you
can make phone calls from PC-to-PC anywhere in the world for
FREE! More common PC-to-Phone calls usually come with a
small charge but are still much cheaper than regular phone
service.
For a small monthly fee, you can sign up with a VoIP
service provider and get unlimited calls within the country!
International calls can also be made for a fraction of the
cost of regular service.
Another advantage is its portability. You can make and
receive phone calls wherever there is a broadband connection
by simply signing in to your VOIP account. This makes VOIP
as convenient as e-mail. When you're traveling, you simply
pack a headset or Internet phone; then you can talk to
family or colleagues for next to nothing.
Phone-to-phone VOIP is also portable. Internet phones are
small and light enough to take anywhere. When you sign up
with a VOIP service provider, the Internet phone or adaptor
used by that service is assigned a unique number. This
'phone number' remains valid, even if your VOIP service is
in Los Angeles and you're connected to the Internet in
London. When plugged into a broadband connection, anywhere
in the world, you can make and receive calls as though you
were at home.
Features like call forwarding, call waiting, voicemail,
caller ID and 3way-calling, are included with Internet
telephone at no extra charge. While you're talking on the
phone, you can send pictures and documents at the same time.
Disadvantages:
Unfortunately, there are a couple of minor drawbacks you
may experience. The first is the fact that you would loose
service during a power outage and the other is limited
emergency calling.
Conventional phone service continues by the current
supplied through the phone line during a blackout. This
isn't possible with Internet phones. When the power goes,
there goes VOIP service. Battery backups and power
generators that provide electricity are the current
solutions to this problem.
Emergency (911) calls are another concern for many
potential customers as well. In the event that you need to
call 911 but can't speak or have to leave, your call can be
traced when dialed from a traditional phone. However, this
is not the case with VoIP. Fortunately, there is currently
technology being developed called 'e911' that will make this
possible, so this will not be a problem for much longer.
VOIP also has sound quality and reliability problems.
Data sent across the Internet usually arrives at its
destination scrambled. E-mail and documents can be
reassembled in the correct order when it arrives. Voice data
also arrives scrambled, but it's more complicated because of
the real-time nature of VOIP. Some data packets may have to
be dropped when they don't arrive in time, in order to make
voice connections with the least delay. This can cause brief
silences in the audio stream.
Your internet connection speed and the distance of the
call are the two biggest factors in the quality of the call.
If you are in a high-traffic area this may also cause some
loss in the quality of the conversation. Once again,
technology is constantly being improved on and this is
becoming less and less of an inconvenience.
While the disadvantages mentioned above currently present
minor problems, it is expected that these will be corrected
by the year 2008 and VoIP technology will have become the
industry standard for telephone communication.
This article was posted on December 14, 2005
