Sunday, October 24, 2010

Is Internet Phone Really Worth It?

You have heard the word around about an internet phone and you have probably seen the ads and read the huge billboards around the city. I am sure someone in your neighborhood would definitely be using a VOIP service. VOIP or in full form known as Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) or an internet phone or is the new digital sensation in the telecommunication world driving huge crowds of people to sign up with a service provider.

There are more than hundreds of VOIP service providers in the market today. Every VOIP provider has different calling plans, mostly residential and business plans. These business plans are generally a bit more expensive than the residential calling plans, though there are many interesting features offered as well. The most common service features include voice mail, caller ID, call blocking, call waiting, 3-way calling and the best part is that these service features don't cost a penny extra - but this is limited to an internet phone service only. On the contrary, traditional phone service charges extra for every additional feature you want, mostly $15-$25, depending on the feature you choose.

International calls are cheap when dialed from an Internet phone service. Imagine calling Australia or Korea for as low as 3 cents per min., depending on which country you are dialing. In addition, mostly internet phone providers offer services like making free calls to US and Canada. If you have friends or family living overseas, and calling from traditional phone, even though scares you, then simply subscribe to an internet phone and choose a calling plan that allows you to make long hours calls and get the feeling of staying connected even if you're away.

Do you have a high-speed internet connection? No, not just an internet connection, a high-speed connection like a DSL or cable internet, then you can get a tremendous Voice quality for your VOIP phone. In addition to that, you can make economical calls using public hot spots that facilitate you with a Wi-Fi service for either free or just a few cents an hour.

If you are running a business, then a VOIP phone with a business service plan activated is exactly what you need to begin with. Every business owner wants to save more money than spending it and an internet phone gives you an incredibly low priced service without much pre-requisites, expect for a high speed internet connection. Mostly, businesspersons need to make numerous calls daily and need to build a strong market presence as well. Business owners stand to benefit the most from switching to VOIP service. High long distance volume, systems integration, phone number mobility, and local market presence are the main reasons why. With a VOIP phone, you can continue to make calls without worrying much about the call charges and save oodles of money. Just imagine what it would be making the same amount of calls that you do with a traditional phone service, you would be given with a big bill at the end, and you will be infuriated with the figure.

So if you want to save and enjoy maximum calling benefits, subscribe to an internet phone service today.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Expanding Use of VOIP Technology

The advancement in technology has caused abundant changes especially in the field of communication. One form of technology that offers a great deal of convenience to the way people communicate nowadays is the use of Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP). It is a technology that allows the users to make voice calls using a broadband Internet connection rather than a regular phone line.

VOIP is starting to gain popularity as users learn about its advantages. For one, VOIP produced revolutionary changes in the business sector. It is proven to be very beneficial in companies because VOIP can keep them away from high expenses on phone calls. Since the costs are low compared to the traditional telecommunication systems, businesses can now talk all over the world to their clients, workers and to anyone that they need to talk to. Another appealing feature is conference calling, which provides a company a better way for communication through holding conferences between the management, the workforce and even with the clients. As such, connecting is easy, they no longer need to travel long distances, and hence their time as well as financial resources are saved. Aside from the aforementioned feature, VOIP also comes with a bunch of innovative communication features such as call forwarding, call waiting, caller ID, three-way calling and voice mail. All of these services are free of charge, whereas in traditional telecommunications companies you have to pay extra before you can avail it. Noticeably, a number of enterprises are now shifting to VoIP as their main communication instrument because of these various features. It is not merely the business sector, who widely accepted this technology. It is also embraced by individuals; they use it in their everyday lives as they connect to their families and friends globally.

However, it cannot be denied that some people are still reluctant to use VOIP for the reason that this technology has also some drawbacks. Firstly, it is susceptible to power failure which means that some services don't work when there is electrical interruption. There are also reports that it is not that reliable during emergency situations. Unlike traditional telephones where emergency personnel can automatically identify location and direct the closest emergency personnel to that location, in this service it cannot work this way. Needless to say, these downsides are not without solutions. Most service providers are now developing ways to address the disadvantages and improving the quality of their service is their primary concern. It is essential to look for a service provider that can responsibly offer quality service. Without a doubt, taking advantage of VOIP technology can be an exciting, uncomplicated, and money saving endeavor.

Why Companies Choose VOIP

The rise of technology has given us not only given us improved and convenient living, it has also helped increase globalization, and close cultural gaps through better communication. We see this with simple things that take place every day, such as long distance conversations on the cell phone, instant messaging on the Internet and finally, the newest breakthrough in modern communication: the Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP).

The name Voice over Internet Protocol itself pretty much sums it all up. VOIP is the transmission of voice over the Internet. Unlike regular analog telephones, it sends voice in digital packets or IP packets. Then, users can have the option to receive it either through digital means or analog means. Digital means would include receiving it over the Internet through your computer. Users may use applications like Skype or MSN messenger. Analog means of receiving VOIP calls is quite a tad more complicated. One would need the use of an ADC or an analog-to-digital converter to convert the digital audio packets first before being able to listen to them.

Why Companies Choose VOIP
Companies generally choose VOIP because of its cost-effectiveness, speed and efficiency. Especially with making business calls or calling for multi-location business meetings, VoIP certainly proves better than using regular phone lines.

Cost-Effectiveness
Making VOIP calls is free of charge. Since the audio is sent over the Internet, the company would need only to maintain an Internet subscription and not subscription from a regular telephone company anymore.

Companies also spend less in using VOIP networks because numerous offices in different locations are virtually connected and share common VOIP features like voice mail, caller ID and etc. They can communicate whenever and wherever in no time. All they need is an Internet subscription and the necessary equipment.

Efficiency
VOIP is especially good for business because business members can communicate effectively with it. As opposed to making a regular telephone call, VOIP calls are capable of incorporating multimedia features with it. For example, a business conference may need the assistance of graphs and charts to discuss profit trends. They can do so by just sending in the pictures, videos and graphics of those data and tables in a video conference. They sure won't be able to do this with a normal telephone.

Clarity and Portability
Because they are sent in digital packets, audio signals in VoIP calls are generally clearer than ones that pass through the telephone wires. These digital audio signals are not subject to weather disturbances. However, they do have the tendency to be choppy especially if the audio file being sent is large, but these are immediately patched up by either overlapping them with other data packets or repeating them. Generally they are not noticeable as one data packet consist only of a small portion of the whole audio.

One can also make a VOIP call anywhere as long as there is Internet. VOIP calls are not limited to PC-to-PC networks. Mobile phones are also capable of receiving them.