Voip Service Provider A Vs Voip Service Provider B

Writen by Gobala Krishnan

While doing research on the Internet, I realized that most people are absolutely confused when it comes to selecting a VoIP or broadband phone service provider. I can't say I blame them either, when you consider that there are now thousands of companies out there with as many different service plans.

What I often come across though, is the question "Is company A better than company B?". To be honest I have no idea how to answer that question. All I can offer is a simple guideline that can help you discover the answer for yourself. Here it is.

1) Where is the company located?

Does the location of the company matter? Perhaps not, if the service provider is located in the same country as you are. However, if you have been offered VoIP or broadband phone services offered by foreign companies, it probably WILL matter.

The danger in subscribing to companies that don't have a presence in your country, legalities aside, is the quality of the service. Imagine making a call from Malaysia to your friend in Singapore. Now imagine your call being routed all the way to the US or Australia before it is routed back to Singapore to complete the call. Physically, this takes less than a second, but the consequences are sometimes obvious.

More often than not, you get a delay in your call. If you understand communication, you'll understand than even a one second delay before hearing a YES or OK can make all the difference in your sales talk or discussion. The solution?

Make sure your VoIP service provider has at least a few gateways located in your region, and most importantly, your country. This would reduce the distance the call is carried and usually result in better call quality.

2) Are the call plans unique?

All VoIP service providers out there suffer from the same symptom - the need to differentiate themselves. That's the reason why you get 100 different plans from 10 different companies. Understand, though, that they are all basically the same thing.

So if water is water, how do you choose when you flip open the refrigerator door in that 7-11 store? Is it the color of the bottle or the price?

The same question can be asked when choosing a VoIP plan. Choose what appeals to you, but don't get carried away by all the "Unlimited calls" talk. Understand that any VoIP provider worth their salt can offer you unlimited calls from one ATA (analog telephone adapter) to another ATA that they own, for free. However, consider this - how many people you know are using an ATA from the same company you are?

Making unlimited calls to regular phones, though, is an entirely different ball game. Not everyone can offer you this. Vonage for example, can offer you unlimited calls in their business package, to US only. For unlimited calling to Asian countries, the only company I know of that can do this is TelExtreme.

3) Quality - who owns the technology?

I am not an advocate of buying from the company that everyone is buying from. You know, companies like Vonage and AT&T CallVantage. I'm not an advocate of "following the crowd", but in some cases, the crowd may have a point.

Most of the smaller VoIP providers don't own the technology. Why should they, when they can get the whole deal at wholesale, and all they need to do is put their brand on it? This works for the short term. For the long term, however, such companies have no way of ensuring the stability or quality of their service.

Bottom line - find out if the VoIP service provider owns any, or all, of the technology behind the service they provide. A "cut and paste" company comprising of different ATA manufacturers, different call routers and different gateway providers may not survive in a few years when the VoIP industry matures. You can count on that!

4) What's in store for the future?

In plain words, why spend on a VoIP provider that is limited to just making calls, especially when many of them already have video and data applications in the works? Packet8 already has their own video & voice over IP plan, and many others will follow suit. "Triple Play" as it is called, will soon be available, so make sure that your VoIP service provider has this in store for you. More importantly, it should be available at little or no extra cost.

Here's a complete "VoIP A vs. VoIP B" type of comparison chart if you really need it: http://www.mybusinessvoip.com/compare

Copyright © 2006 Gobala Krishnan

Gobala Krishnan is a small business entrepreneur and publisher of the "VoIP and Me" newsletter, designed for smart entrepreneurs who want to avoid all the technical jargon and get straight to the information that really matters. Learn how you can drastically cut communication costs by 70%, get more customers and expand to new markets using VoIP at http://www.MyBusinessVoIP.com.

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The Straight Scoop On Business Voip

Writen by Michael Lemm

VoIP, or Voice Over Internet Protocol, is an enigma for many businesses. There are many flavors of VoIP and many pros and cons that you need to be aware of when considering which service to choose. One goal of this article is to help you decipher through the technospeak so that you can make an informed decision that will save you time and money.

The first thing you need to know about VoIP Service is that it can replace your local phone company. Whether you have just one POTS (plain old telephone service) line or a voice T1 (24 bundled dedicated lines), a VoIP solution is meant to replace your phone company. Instead of using your local phone company's voice connection, VoIP will digitize your voice signal and send it over an internet connection.

In order for your voice to transmit digitally through the internet, you need to be sure you have enough bandwidth to facilitate the communication link. A minimum of a DSL line is required, but most larger companies will want a T1 line - a dedicated link directly to the internet that is guaranteed to be up over 99.999% of the time. Since you will be entrusting all of your business voice communication to this new technology, your connection to the internet becomes the critical link and you don't want to risk a company-wide phone outage to save a few hundred dollars on your bandwidth connection. To help with this DS3-Bandwidth.com has developed software that will allow you to generate a T1 or DS3 price in just seconds.

Once you have your high-speed internet connection taken care of, it's time to select a VoIP Service Provider - the company that will actually route your digitized voice signal to a real telephone on the other end. In essence, your VoIP Carrier will become your long distance carrier. The service providers Business-VoIP-Solution.com work with offer unlimited telephone calls to the United States and Canada, all for one fixed price. That's a good place to start your search. For companies who average more than $40 in local and long distance usage per employee, VoIP is well worth the initial investment.

There are likewise other hidden benefits of VoIP Service, the main benefit being the reduced bandwidth required to conduct a regular telephone conversation. Since a VoIP transmission only requires 32KB of bandwidth, you can fix up to 24 'VoIP lines' on a data T1, and still have 768KB left over for dedicated high-speed internet access! This means that you can migrate your entire phone system on to your existing T1 and still have half of the bandwidth allocated for data.

Other benefit of VoIP lies in the prioritization of the digitized voice signals that are generated when you speak. In the event no one is talking, the VoIP line does not transmit any data. This allows your T1 line to dynamically allocate bandwidth as it is needed, instead of permanently blocking out an entire channel of data.

Lastly, the MAJOR benefit of VoIP telephone systems is that they come with a very rich feature set. Some common features include: Unlimited Minutes, Local Number Porting (LNP), Personalized Voicemail, Unlimited In-Network Calling, Caller ID, Caller ID Blocking, Call Waiting, Call Waiting ID, Call Forwarding, 3-way Conferencing, Call Return *69 activates, Online Management & Billing, Choose Your Own Area Code, *70 Call Waiting Disable, *78/*79 Do Not Disturb, *77/*87 Anonymous Call Blocking, Distinctive Ringing for Virtual Numbers, Virtual Phone Numbers all over the world, Enhanced 911, and Toll Free Services. You just can't get all that service with regular phone service without paying extra fees and surcharges. These features are standard with most business VoIP plans!

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications....including Business-VoIP-Solution and DS3-Bandwidth.com. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you're always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, and insights.

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Will Voip Take Over From Traditional Calling

Writen by Justin Brown

The question of whether VoIP will take over from the way most of us make calls is certainly debatable. However, with the benefits that VoIP already possesses it would be hard to argue that it will certainly dominate a large proportion of the communication market for both individuals and business in the near future.

VoIP is a technology that has been around for several years, but has only recently begun to develop and advance into a real alternative to regular analogue phone systems. VoIP offers a more flexible and cheaper alternative for almost anyone that uses it, along with some major benefits.

Businesses stand to cut cost significantly by switching to VoIP, especially those that regularly make long-distance calls. With calls being carried over a broadband internet connection means that many taxes and charges from telephone companies, are not incurred.

Business employees can also benefit from a great feature of VoIP in that it provides the possibility to access an office phone network away from the office premises. So for example, an employee could work from home but still keep track of all office calls and have access to the office phone system features.

Another great feature is that your number is assigned to a converter that you use. This makes it possible to plug this converter into any high-speed internet connection and immediately utilize your usual number for making and receiving calls. So if you move from one side of the country to the other, you are still able to keep the same number.

High-speed internet access is a necessity for using VoIP, and it was not so long ago that this would have made it difficult for many homeowners to use this technology. However, the spread of high speed internet connection and the potential of VoIP go hand-in-hand. It now means that many can benefit from switching to VoIP should they choose to, rather than not even having this option before.

The cost-saving opportunity that is already available by using VoIP over analogue phone systems is already evident, but with more advancements expected with VoIP technology over time, and with more VoIP service providers likely to enter the market and compete in a price battle, this can only be good news for us as consumers.

If VoIP is something that interests you then it's certainly worth shopping around to see the sort of deals that service providers are currently offering. Many VoIP providers may offer caller ID, call waiting, 3-way calling, speed dialing, call forwarding, and free voicemail so take a look a round first.

VoIP Service Providers provides a great opportunity to find a wealth of information on the technology, and also offers many resources for those interested in VoIP. We recommend you visit the site at http://www.voip-serviceproviders.info

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Business And Consumer Advantages By Switching To Voip

Writen by Justin Brown

VoIP is a widely talked about technology that is beginning to make major strides in the internet and communication world. It brings major benefits for both consumers and business that use it. For many though, the decision of whether VoIP is right for their needs is a difficult one, and the benefits of VoIP may not be made so clear. Please read on to discover the key advantages of changing to VoIP, and I hope you will then be in a better decision to decide.

The money that can be saved is evident for consumers and also for businesses, especially those that regularly make long distance calls. You may wonder why this is the case, well, the technology of VoIP means that calls that you would usually make are now transmitted along your broadband internet connection, bypassing your regular telephone service provider. This results in a cost-saving from many taxes and charges not being incurred.

The saving in long distance calling can result in a massive saving for businesses. Furthermore, the amount of VoIP service providers entering the market means that the competition and resulting pricing battle between the providers is good for many businesses looking to convert to VoIP.

The converter that you will need in order to use VoIP has a great feature. It will be assigned with your own individual number. If you need to travel anywhere, you are then able to take this converter with you and plug it into any broadband connection, enabling you to make receive calls using the same number. In order for VoIP to successfully work, it is important that you have a good bandwidth connection, such as with broadband or DSL. You will also need a computer microphone or regular phone, plus a VoIP route adaptor to connect to the internet. Another more obvious requirement is to sign up with a VoIP service provider, but make sure that you look around at the offers that many providers may have before deciding on one.

Looking around and what various service providers have to offer will soon highlight some of the extras that you may receive with their package. These may include call waiting, caller ID, speed dialling, call forwarding, 3-way calling, free voicemail plus much more. You can then make a more informed decision on which provider meets your requirements the best.

VoIP technology looks set to advance over the coming years, although it has been around for some time now. There are some great benefits from switching to VoIP, some of which have been highlighted above. This may mean the end of regular analogue phone system companies as we know them today, who may find it difficult to compete with the benefits that VoIP technology has to offer. VoIP will most certainly continue to develop over the coming years, and may soon dominate the communication market. This will lead to an increase in the number of homes and business premises that will use VoIP as a cheaper alternative to existing phone lines. It is highly recommended that you take a look at the website below, to discover more interesting information on VoIP technology, and hopefully answer any questions that you may about it.

For tons of useful information on VoIP technology, you must read the info at VoIP Service Providers. Justin Brown has gathered a lot of helpful information on a range of VoIP topics there. He also runs Autoresponder Info and a site for free articles.

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Voip What Is The Problem

Writen by E. B. Randall

In the beginning, when the Internet Protocol was first designed, no one was thinking about the possibilities of sending audio and video. Real time communication was not an issue.

Perhaps the greatest single problem is that the Internet Protocol (the IP part of VoIP - Voice over Internet Protocol) wasn't designed to ensure that the packets are delivered in the correct order. When information is transmitted using IP, the data is broken up into information packets, each of which is sent separately. The correct sequence of packets is part of the information in each packet, but nothing specifically exists to make sure that the packets are delivered, and, therefore, received in the proper order.

Now this isn't usually a significant issue for web pages, email, etc. Why? Because these aren't real-time applications. Audio and video however, especially live audio and live video are definitely real-time applications. For a real time conversation to work, the packets have to arrive - pretty much in order and also within certain time limits.

The first, and one of the major challenges then, is to restructure incoming packets into the correct order and to somehow cope with lost and/or trashed packets. Face it, the internet does not provide a quality of service guarantee. If enough packets are lost, an audio or video stream rapidly turns into a useless mess. While packets can be resent - the standard way lost/trashed packets are dealt with - real time communication means that you just can't wait around forever. After a certain time, it's simply too late to maintain a coherent stream.

What we've seen over the last few years is a gradual and now nearly explosive growth in the use of VoIP, and streaming audio and video. The reason is decline of dial-up and the growth of ISDN, DSL, ADSL, cable and other high speed, high bandwidth access modes. Bandwidth is the answer to most of the problems posed by IP. End-to-end high speed links can ensure high quality sound. The sole remaining problem is latency.

For most this is not an issue when they have high speed internet access, however, it can become a problem with satellite links or any other system where unusually long distances and many hops are involved.

On private networks, there is rarely a problem using VoIP and many companies with internal networks (such as telcos and power companies) use VoIP to communicate within their organizational network structure.

However, when the available end-to-end bandwidth is less than 256 Kbps, a good VoIP system will require mechanisms to overcome fragmentation of the data stream.

Security is an issue everywhere on the internet and what this means is that VoIP also needs to deal with firewalls and NATs (Network Address Translation). While some systems can do NAT and firewall traversal on their own, others require the use of SBCs (Session Border Controllers) to manage the traversal.

One major, though non-technical, challenge to VoIP, comes from traditional telephone service providers who are being by-passed by consumers who love the extremely low (or zero) long-distance charges they can get by using VoIP. Exactly how this works out over the long run will be fascinating to watch. In the meantime, VoIP services are continually being improved and extended. Enjoy them.

For more information on VoIP, conference calling, web conferencing and related subjects visit Alta Global Telecom. Find more on wireless and cellular subjects at Alta Global Wireless. For networking and security check Alta Global Net.

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Packet8 Voip User Review

Writen by Debbie Jacobsen

I have been a Packet8 VoIP user for several months, and have logged over 10,000 minutes of calling time on this service to date. During this time, I lost my dial tone 3 times and had around 6 incomplete or dropped calls. Two times, the person I was talking to said I sounded like I was in a "tunnel". Other than that, the call quality has been excellent and I have no complaints. Other than the "tunnel" sound that happend twice, the other problems were due to my local network setup and had nothing to do with Packet8 at all. Since the length of my average call is about 45 minutes, I've used Packet8 for around 220 calls so far. With only 2 of these calls having quality issues that I can attribute directly to Packet8 service, I can safely say that Packet8 VoIP service has proven to be over 99% reliable.

With unlimited local and long distance calling for $19.95 a month, Packet8 unlimited local and long distance service with +99% reliability is the bargain of the year!

My Packet8 experience has been absolutely wonderful so far. When I received my Uniden 1868P VoIP adapter/telephone combo device, I was able to install it in minutes due to the excellent instructions that were enclosed. After making the necessary cable connections, I lifted the receiver, dialed the special code that was provided, and had an email confirming my activation within minutes. I made my first "live" internet phone call within 15 minutes of unpacking the adapter. As an IT professional, I have installed hundreds of new hardware devices and have never experienced a setup as quick and easy as this one. Installation is so simple that I firmly believe anyone can do it!

Most questions can be answered by reading the technical support postings on the Packet8.com website. For issues that are not covered, you can call a customer support number and talk to a "real person" or send an email. I emailed a question regarding the password to my VoIP adapter device, and had an answer within 10 minutes. This is perhaps the quickest response I have ever had from any company's tech support! Packet8 is also very good about keeping subscribers informed of upcoming changes via email. I get an informative email from them every 3-4 weeks, telling me about enhancements they are adding to services or upgrades that are available for my adapter/phone combo device.

All account management can be done through the user section of the Packet8 website. I can logon and see invoice history, download updates and manage my services. The simple online control panel allows me to tailor services to meet my needs. I can set the number of rings before voicemail picks up, change my voicemail password, and turn voicemail on/off. I can also turn call waiting on/off or forward all my calls to a number of my choice if I'm going to be away from home for awhile. Beginning November 2005, I'll be able to enter an email address that voice messages will be forwarded to. This is a great service that I think I will use often; voice messages will come to me via an email attachment that can be forwarded to anyone I wish.

The features I get for free with Packet8 are awesome - call waiting, call forwarding, caller id, distinctive ring (this is a feature on the Uniden 1868p phone), 3 way conference calling, call blocking and voicemail. I never paid the extra price for these features with my old land line service, but I sure do enjoy them for free! I think voicemail is one of the best features with VoIP. I was able to get rid of my answering machine and I can now check my voicemail from anywhere with a toll free number that Packet8 provides. If I want, I can add an 800 number or "virtual numbers" in another area code for a few dollars per month, and the distinctive ring service will tell me which phone number is ringing.

Needless to say, I am totally satisfied with Packet8 VoIP service and highly recommend this provider. Their main competitor is Vonage, who offers comparable service for about $5 more per month. If you want high quality, VoIP service for $60 less a year than Vonage, Packet8 is definitely the way to go.

To learn more about Packet8 VoIP service, visit http://www.savewith8.com. For more information on VoIP internet phone service, visit my blog: http://www.djvoip.blogspot.com Internet Phone Service - The Future is Here.

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Why Business Should Switch To Voip

Writen by Olivia Tan

Companies should choose to unplug and switch to VoIP technology because there are many advantages for using VoIP. Here is an overview of five reasons that your business should make the switch to VoIP.

VoIP is perfect for Call Centers

VoIP is slowly becoming the standard choice for Call Centers. VoIP offers some major benefits for Call Centers such as flexibility, cost efficiency, and enhanced customer service applications. For instance, in the past, a Call Center needed to be a stabilized facility equipped with many phone lines used by people who would physically be located in the Call Center. By using VoIP for your Call Center, not only is your main location easily relocated as your business expands, but you can hire employees virtually world wide. Larger companies take advantage of VoIP Call Centers by outsourcing work overseas where they can hire employees for less.

The Integration of data, audio, and web based features is another reason why businesses are opting for VoIP. Customer service calls are handled more efficiently with the integration of these three components. Not only are calls transferred more proficiently, but also greater care can be given to customers when Call Centers use integrated software platforms.

More Call Centers are taking advantage of the opportunity to hire employees world wide through VoIP services. Employees may work in different time zones, giving greater customer service benefits year round, and hiring home based employees is another way businesses are choosing to save money.

VoIP is better for Mobile Employees

Many companies employ mobile workers. Mobile Employees have typically used cell phones at the company's expense to stay in touch during the day. By utilizing VoIP Mobile Employees can remain virtually connected with the company, and the company saves money on fees.

When mobile employees rely on cell phones, many times a customer will call the main office, only to hear a message or be told the worker's cell phone number. This requires the customer to hang up and call the employee on their cell phone- increasing the chance that the employee will lose the sale. By using VoIP, a call is instantly routed to the mobile employee and productivity increases.

Since VoIP integrates many other technologies, including E-mail, mobile employees are able to conduct many more transactions with one application.

VoIP Reduces Cost

Businesses today depend upon telecommunications. Whether it is Internet, E-mail, Customer Service through telephone, online web applications, and E-mail, or whatever your IT business needs may be, VoIP offers to handle all of your needs with one application. Additionally, this reduces cost and increases productivity. VoIP also has combined with software applications that are perfect for many business needs. Software such as accounting programs, Email, and PC based applications help to save money by combining services.

The reduction in long distance charges is another great advantage for switching to VoIP for business needs. By combining data, video, and audio needs, companies save on bandwidth usage, which ultimately leads to financial savings.

VoIP allows Real Time Global Conferencing

Global conferencing and training can put a burden on a business. Attempts to reach employees worldwide are not only expensive but time consuming as well. With VoIP technology businesses can avoid conferencing costs, and enable secure audio and videoconferences to offices worldwide. By reducing long distance costs, employees are also taking advantage of calling each other and corporate headquarters more frequently.

VoIP offers Flexibility that Ultimately Increases Productivity

VoIP allows greater flexibility. By using a standard VoIP Phone Adapter, you are able to take your telephone number with you. This allows greater productivity by allowing employees to conduct business overseas, while traveling, staying in hotels, etc. Your customers will be able to call you on your regular business phone number, and you won't have to use your cell phone.

Many VoIP services are fully integrated with PC applications such as fax and email. There is greater productivity when employees can integrate their email and phone services with one application. Conduct business with VoIP on your laptop, any time day or night.

With the option to get VoIP phone numbers with area codes throughout the country, and some world wide, businesses can expand by choosing local area codes for the city, state, or country they are targeting.

Olivia Tan is co-publisher of VoIP Ebook. She provides tips and review on business VoIP and residential VoIP.

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Voip 101 Voice Over Ip For Beginners

Writen by Rich McIver

For those who have never heard about the potential of VoIP, be prepared to radically change the way you think about your current long-distance calling plan. VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is very simply, a method for taking ordinary analog audio signals and turning them into digital signals that can be sent over the Internet.

So what? Well, for those of you who are already paying a monthly fee for an Internet connection, this means that you can use that same connection to place free long distance phone calls. This process works by using already available VoIP software to make phone calls over the Internet, essentially circumventing phone companies and their service charges.

Interestingly, VoIP is not an entirely new thing. In fact, a number of providing companies have been around for some time. But it has only been with the more recent explosion of high-speed internet access usage, that VoIP has gotten any attention. Now the major telephone carriers are setting up their own VoIP calling plans throughout the US, another testament to the potential of the technology.

How VoIP Is Used

While there are a number of ways that VoIP is currently being used, most individual callers fall into one of three categories: ATA, IP Phones, and Computer-to-Computer.

ATA or Analog Telephone Adaptor, is the most common way of using VoIP. This adaptor actually allows you to hook up the phone that is already in your house, to your computer, and then your Internet connection. What the ATA does, is turn the analog signals your phone sends out into digital signals that can be sent over the Internet. Setting up this system is quite simple. It simply requires that you order an ATA (its an adaptor remember), plug the cable from your phone which would normally go into the wall socket into the ATA, and then the ATA gets plugged into your computer, which is connected to the internet. Some ATAs include software that has to be installed on your computer before its ready, but basically it's quite a simple process. Then you are ready to make some calls.

The next type of VoIP usage utilizes IP Phones instead of your home phone. The IP Phone looks just like a normal phone, with all the same buttons and cradle, the only difference is that instead of having a normal wall jack connector, it has an Ethernet connector. This means, that instead of plugging in your IP phone to the wall jack like you would with a regular analog phone, it gets plugged directly into your router.

This option allows you to circumvent your personal computer, and it also means that you will not have to install any software, because its all built in to the handset. In addition, the fact that Wi-Fi IP phones will soon be available, which will allow subscribing callers to make VoIP calls from any Wi-Fi hot spot, make this option an exciting possibility.

The simplest and cheapest way to use VoIP is through computer-to-computer calls. These calls are entirely free, meaning no calling plan whatsoever. The only thing you need, is the software which can be found for free on the internet, a good internet connection, a microphone, speakers, and a sound card. Except for your monthly internet service fee, there is literally no cost for making these calls, no matter how many you make.

For large companies, VoIP also offers some very unique possibilities. Some larger companies are already utilizing the technology by conducting all intra-office calls through a VoIP network. Because the quality of sound is comparable to and in some cases surpasses that of analog service, some international companies are using VoIP to route international calls through the branch of their company nearest the call's destination and then completing it on an analog system. This allows them to pay local rates internationally and still utilize the same intra-office VoIP network that they would if they were calling someone in the next cubicle over.

Other Advantages of VoIP

While your current long-distance plan covers you for only one location, say calls made from your office, with VoIP, you can make a call anywhere that you can get a broadband connection. That is because all three methods above, unlike analog calls, send the call information via the Internet. This means you can make calls from home, on vacation, on business trips, and almost anywhere else. Anywhere you go, with VoIP you can bring your home phone along with you. In the same way, computer-to-computer connections mean that as long as you have your laptop and a connection, you're ready to go.

There are also some nifty benefits to having your calls transmitted over the Internet. For example, some VoIP service providers allow you to check your voicemail via your e-mail, while others allow you to attach voice messages to your e-mails.

How VoIP Works

The current phone system relies on a reliable but largely inefficient method for connecting calls known as circuit switching. This technique, which has been used for over 100 years, means that when a call is made between two people a connection is maintained in both directions between callers for the duration of the call. This dual directional characteristic gives the system the name circuit.

If, for example, you made a 30-minute call the circuit would be continuously open, and thus used, between the two phones. Up until about 1960, this meant that every call had to have an actual dedicated wire connecting the two phones. Thus a long distance call cost so much, because you were paying for pieces of copper wire to be connected all the way from your phone to the destination phone, and for that connection to remain constant throughout the call.

Today, however, your analog call is converted after leaving your house to a digital signal, where your call can be combined with many others on a single fiber optic cable. While this system is certainly an improvement over the past copper wire system, it is still quite inefficient. This inefficiency is due in part to the fact that the telephone line can't distinguish between useful talking and unneeded silences. For example, in a typical conversation while one person is talking the other person is listening.

Thus the current analog system uses roughly half its space sending useless messages like this silence. But there is also more information, even down to pauses in speech, which under a more efficient system can be effectively cut out rather than wasting the circuit space. This idea of only transmitting the noisy bits of a telephone call and saving a great deal on circuit space, is the basis of Packet-Switching, the alternative method to circuit switching that the VoIP phone system uses.

Packet-Switching is the same method that you use when you view a website. For example, as you read this website, your computer is not maintaining a constant connection to the site, but rather making connections to send and receive information only on an as needed basis (such as when you click on a link). Just as this system allows the transfer of information over the Internet to work so quickly, so also does it work in the VoIP system. While circuit switching maintains a constant and open connection, packet switching opens connections just long enough to send bits of data called packets from one computer to another.

This allows the network to send your call (in packets) along the least congested and cheapest lines available, while also keeping your computer or IP phone, free to send and receive messages and calls with other computers. This way of sending information, not to mention data compression, makes the amount of information which must be transmitted for every call at least 3-4 times less for VoIP than the exact same call in a conventional telephone system. For this reason, VoIP is so much cheaper than conventional calling plans.

The Future of VoIP

While most analysts believe it will be at least a decade before companies and telephone providers make the full switch to VoIP, the potential for the technology's use today is already quite astounding. A report by the Forrester Research Group predicts that by the end of 2006, nearly 5 million U.S. households will be using VoIP phone service. With the savings and flexibility that the technology already offers, and new advances just ahead on the horizon, we can expect those numbers will only increase in the future.

Rich McIver is a contributing writer for VoIP Now: Voice over IP News ( http://www.voipnow.org ).

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So Voip Can Reduce My Phone Bill So What

Writen by Tom Shaw

Over the years I have had many, many disagreements and punch-ups with telephone companies and their agents. Admittedly, I am quite fanatical about Customer Service and when I pay for a product or service, I expect suppliers to try their hardest to deliver what they've promised.

At the risk of starting a Race War, and perhaps my own extradition, I suggest that the general standard of customer service in this country is decidedly average. A while ago it was the done thing for a company to display copies of their Mission Statement all over the place. The tone of the statement would generally indicate how much the company and staff appreciated their customers. At first I was delighted that companies would go to the trouble of producing these good-news documents. Alas, I found that in many cases they were merely paying lip-service to the concept.

Maybe my expectations are too high, but in fairness, I try my damnedest to give top-class service when I am the provider, so when I'm paying the tab, why should I settle for anything less? Anyway, rightly or wrongly, my past dealings with them have left me with a bad taste in my mouth. So when I hear of a chance to save a few quid on my phone bills, I'm there with "bells on."

Before I started looking into VoIP, my phone conversations had been handset to handset. I have friends and family in the UK and some contacts in the US and New Zealand, and the procedure usually went something like this: - I'd dial the appropriate number, talk to whoever answered for a few minutes; they'd then pass the handset to whoever else was available and I'd 'do the rounds'. Of course, where there was a second handset available, three-way or even 4-way conversations were possible.

One of the cute things that VoIP has enabled me to do has been to set up conference calls; recently I took part in a training seminar with over 90 people on the call. They hailed from Canada, UK, Mexico, USA, Alaska, Jordan and Germany and God knows where else.

Now I know that phone companies offer conference call facilities using just the telephone, but with VoIP, conversation is just the beginning. In my training room I can run Powerpoint presentations, use a whiteboard, swap files instantaneously and play videos. I can even share my desktop; in other words, I can open any file on my computer with the flick of a switch, it can be seen by everyone else on the call. Similarly, if they are having a problem on their computer, with their permission, I can access their machine and correct the problem for them.

If you think this technology is just a "flash in the pan", consider this. SKYPE, one of the earliest suppliers of VoIP, was recently purchased by Ebay for a staggering $4,100,000,000.

Of course, the real challenge is in finding an economical way to gain access to this technology. A search for "VoIP" on Google will return "about 294,000,000 results". And of course, in case Uncle Bill should miss the boat, Microsoft has its version now available. It's called Live Meeting, and judging by the hefty price tag, seems to be targeting the corporate world.

I'd like to finish by offering a word of caution to smaller players, especially exporters who can see the potential in VoIP. The old adage about "getting what you pay for" just isn't true in this business. Some companies have a fixed monthly charge; some base their charges on time used; some base their price on the number of people on the call.

So, for those who remember Hill St Blues; "Let's be careful out there."

Regards, Tom

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Ip Phones

Writen by Josh Riverside

IP Phone means an Internet Protocol Phone. It allows the user to speak over IP networks such as the Internet or the Intranet. It is also known as Voice over Internet Protocol, Internet Phone, Web Phone etc.

The traditional phone transfers voice through 'circuit-switching' method wherein the caller and the receiver are connected through a continuous electrical circuit. Here voice transfer is pretty slow because data is transferred as it is in huge chunks. There is also the danger of data loss in this system due to frequent reception problems in case of long distance calls.

The IP Phone transfers voice through 'packet-switching' network wherein analog voice signal is converted into digital format and is broken up into minute data packets. These packets are then sent individually across the Internet and reassembled in serial order at the information's destination and converted back into voice. Voice is transferred much faster as the data is broken into very minute parts; and there is no danger of data loss.

Another advantage is that since the data is compressed into tiny pockets the space used by a traditional phone for one call can be used to accommodate numerous calls, up to eight times more calls, without compromising on the voice reception quality.

IP Phone makes things easy which are impossible with traditional phones. Traditional phone has geographical constraints but IP Phone can be used anywhere in the world as long as you are connected to the Internet. All the call receiver needs is a regular phone; there's no need for an IP Phone or even Internet connection to receive the call.

Also, IP Phone can integrate with other Internet-based services such as video and text chatting, files exchange and can be used simultaneously with these services. It also lets you know whether other contacts are available to you on-line.

Major reasons for the growing popularity of IP phone is the flexibility and comfort it offers not to mention the extremely low costs. Only expenditure required is for installation of IP hardware and software and it is one-time expenditure. All the calls are considered absolutely free in the sense that the user pays only for the Internet services; no extra payment is required for the call. Long distance calls work out very cheap.

One disadvantage is that some types of IP Phones may not be able to penetrate certain firewalls. Also, IP Phone hardware, working on domestic power supply, requires the back up support of generator or UPS in case of power disruption; otherwise the connection is severed the moment power goes off.

IP Phones provides detailed information on IP Phones, IP Phone Services, Wireless IP Phones, IP Phone Systems and more. IP Phones is affiliated with VOIP Phone System.

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Security Issues With Voip

Writen by Alen Wilson

Are you acquainted to the pace with which IP telephony is catching up?

With major telecommunication carriers, in the process of preparing to launch VoIP applications it is heading towards a prime time. However a new sense of urgency is developing with the risk of wide spread security violation as VoIP technology is gaining popularity.

Until now VoIP security was not a volatile subject, since IP voice traffic remained on local and wide area enterprise networks mostly but VoIP usage becoming widespread has raised concerns over the VoIP security-security of voice data transferred since these voice networks are IP based and special call signal internet protocols that carry these data contains flaws.

To combat threats on VoIP security system it is essential to first device a method of sending VoIP traffic through firewalls. Which can block or restrict data packets due to their inbuilt security functions. Until then we are all susceptible to security breaches like denial of service attacks, tapping, loss of data, snooping.

The apprehensions attached with VoIP security are the major deterrents in the popularity and acceptance of IP telephony. Issues like invasion of privacy, eves-dropping are a serious matter and one would not want to fall victims to them. And it is this feeling of venerability that discourages people to adopt VoIP technology.

However there is a newer technology which has developed not very late ago. It's called VPN (Virtual Private Network) –it's a wonderful way to connect through VoIP, fully guarding your concerns on breach of security. VPN forms a personal gateway between two users with the help of routers and forbids any attempts of intrusion. Although placing routers is an expensive affair altogether but many broadband service providers have begun offering a separate VPN servers to their routers.

Hence to ensure a secured calling experience with VoIP, choose a broadband service provider supporting VPN routers. And you could get the best of VoIP telephony.

Webmaster
VoIP Termination

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Lower Videophone Prices Allow Individuals Accessibility

Writen by Scott Sowle

VoIP service providers are now offering videophone at the lowest price we've seen on the VoIP service market. The tremendous drop in prices will see more individuals and SMB's investing in this affordable futuristic way of communicating.

VoIP services are fast becoming the way to communicate worldwide and with the recent drop in videophone and service plan prices many individuals will be able to get a taste of the future at cost-effective prices. Today's videophone offers more clarity than ever before and at a lower cost.

The videophone has become popular for conferencing with geographically challenged offices in real-time and for lawyer firms in taking depositions. I expect to see more videophones in offices in the next few months and individuals adding videophones as a practical conversational communication option to there current telcom arsenal.

Watch for the VoIP service field to grow in great leaps and bounds in the next year along with more important features being established such as emergency 911 and 411 services. The last few weeks have seen the FCC take a closer look at the VoIP industry, along with other consumer groups which is a plus for consumers. Consumers should see the lower level providers fade away and the tier 1 VoIP providers battle it out for the best technology and lowest price plans. Some providers have already added a Regulatory Recovery Fee to cover the cost of the new obligations being imposed on the VoIP providers, but, don't expect prices to go up much. VoIP services are still the most economical way of communicating today.

So, go out and enjoy the VoIP services and try out the videophones at affordable prices.

Scott Sowle

If you would like more information on VoIP services and videophones please visit: http://altabroadband.bravehost.com

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Vegastream Voip Security

Writen by Helen Upsher

These security concerns are being addressed by service providers and equipment manufacturers to make VoIP calls secure and to give buyers peace of mind. Furthermore, as the broader issue of security on and over the Internet is being addressed by the industry, global standards bodies and governments, so we can expect positive impact in the issue of secure VoIP. Meanwhile, and even after these security enhancements become commonplace, businesses must take steps to secure their VoIP network, as they should secure any point of access to the business, its intellectual property and its data……

Simple Steps For Network Security

VoIP networks are vulnerable to exactly the same security risks as traditional IP data networks and VoIP security needs to be at the same level. This is a relatively straightforward exercise for businesses that already operate secure IP networks.

Protecting VoIP Systems

Organizations should adopt a multi layer comprehensive security strategy. The network can be segmented into secure zones protected by a firewall, intrusion prevention should be added, as well as other layers of security. Although there is no such thing as totally secure IP network, a company can secure the voice network by putting in place layers of security to protect telephones, conversations, computers, and servers. A competent IT department, together with support from the VoIP service provider or solution reseller should be able to implement Authentication, control access (passwords and firewalls), encryption, an audit trail of calls and, where necessary, recording those calls.

Don't forget internal Security

Protection should of course also be put in place for internal traffic flowing over a VoIP system. An increasing number of workers use VoIP to communicate with company staff from wireless phones or soft phones. It is a sensible precaution to encrypt VoIP traffic moving internally over a corporate network to prevent attacks from insiders. The use of desktop-based soft phones to make and receive VoIP-based telephone calls can create a hole in firewall security. The best way to address this problem is to restrict access to the network. In addition, all inbound VoIP traffic that flows through a firewall should be routed through a proxy server, thus eliminating a direct connection to the Internet. Again, these are relatively simple and low cost steps to secure the network.

Peace of Mind With VoIP System

Many corporate users are discouraged from using VoIP systems as they feel they are not secure however, this is like saying it is not safe to use a computer on the internet. Securing VoIP systems is like securing any IP network. Just as you would look to set up protection on your PC including virus software, firewalls etc, so to do you need to protect a VoIP system in a similar fashion. VoIP can and is secure, providing certain security steps are taken. Security is not a server issue, it is a network issue.

Further information on the latest VoIP products news and for specific questions on securing a VoIP network contact us at http://www.vegastream.com.

Formed in 1998, VegaStream is one of the most experienced players in the industrial VoIP market. The company supplies gateway CPE to both traditional telecommunications carriers and the new generation of Internet telephony service providers. VegaStream also serves the enterprise market through a global network of distributors and resellers supported by regional offices in the UK, USA and Australia. VegaStream is a non-listed UK company. Investors include the management team, Pace Micro Technology PLC and MTI Partners.

http://www.vegastream.com

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Defining Voip

Writen by Todd Cardin

When I opened Todd Cardin Answering Service twenty years ago there were not a lot of options in phone service. Today there are so many options and choices in telephony that it is mind boggling. It is confusing living with so many choices. Even those of us in the telecommunications industry find it impossible to keep up with everything. This is especially true for voice over IP.

Many people hear the term Voice over IP or broadband telephone service and still are not sure what that means. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. Using VoIP, voice information is converted into digital packets and sent over the Internet, and then converted back into analog signals before reaching the phone receiver at the other end. This is a growing and new technology which will surely expand as the number of broadband connections increase.

There are two types of VoIP service. The first is called hardware based VoIP. People using this type of VoIP phone services, have their phone fitted with an adapter that will connect to a high-speed Internet connection. When a call is made, it goes through your local telephone company to the VoIP provider, and then over the Internet to the other parties telephone .The second type is software based VoIP phone services, where you use a microphone headset plugged into your computer and make calls, which are routed through your cable modem, by using the keyboard. VoIP can also be run over a private data network.

The big advantage of VoIP is that voice information sent over the Internet avoids using the fixed circuitry of traditional telephony networks – avoiding the tolls charged by traditional telephone service.

The big disadvantage of VoIP is quality of service. While in theory because packets are sent over the best route at the time rather than through fixed routes, VoIP services would be reliable and consistent, in reality problems such as packet loss, bandwidth and plain old Internet outages make VoIP quality and reliability inconsistent.

VoIP is the future of telephony and the quality and reliability will improve and the industry will explode even further.

Todd Cardin is the east coast marketing team leader for Specialty Answering Service. For more information about Specialty Answering Service, please visit our answering service / call center website and explore our services. This article may be reprinted and republished without permission as long as it remains wholly intact.

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How To Choose The Best Small Business Voip Solution

Writen by Gobala Krishnan

Telecommunication cost is always an obstacle for small business owners, especially if you need to call domestic or international long distance. The long distance cost factor alone, depending on the type of business you're in, can make the difference in the success of any small business.

The telecommunication market today is one of the most competitive. Rates for both local, domestic long distance or DLL (long distance in the same country) and international long distance (ILD) are going down every day. The new player in small business phone systems, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), adds a whole new dimension when it comes to choosing a phone system for your small business or home based business.

There's so much hype today about VoIP, or Voice over IP, or Voice over Broadband, whatever you want to call it. Everyone's saying that VoIP is the "future of communication" and that VoIP will replace regular analog phone calls. Is all this true? If it is, how do you, as an entrepreneur, decide how to choose and invest in what's best for you?

There are two things you need to consider:

1) Level of investment

2) Cost vs. Quality

To go full out into using VoIP, you'll need to invest in IP phones, and possibly even in IP PBX. Otherwise, you should go for IP phone adapters, which allow you to maintain whatever system you already have, but also gives you the option of converting some of those phone lines to VoIP. Most entrepreneurs are reluctant to go 100% into VoIP, and yet they still want the benefits that come from it. That's why IP phone adapters are so popular today.

When is comes to quality vs. cost, the direction is pretty clear. Before choosing the proper VoIP phone system for your business, you need to figure out exactly what your business needs. If your business relies heavily on the phone for prospecting customers, providing customer support, or giving out important information through the phone, then you should definitely opt for better quality.

If you use the phone for short communication with your business partners or agents, or any other reason which is NOT your main business function, it would be better to save a little and go with the low cost option. The difference in quality is not very apparent in most cases.

If you are just starting your small business, VoIP phone cards also provide some sort of temporary solution until you can get enough financing to develop a better system. Phone cards usually let you dial international and national long distance at a lower cost because they use either VoIP as the back end provider or through a special promotion or arrangement between telecommunications companies.

Today, you can even get "virtual phone cards" which allow you to make phone calls by dialing a toll-free number in a long list of countries. This is especially useful if you spend more time travelling and doing business overseas than you are at home.

Regardless of which VoIP phone system you choose for your small business, make sure you are getting the most out of the money you spend for these long distance or international plans. Forget the bells and whistles. The purpose of having a good phone system is, and always should be, to communicate and express yourself.

Copyright © 2006 Gobala Krishnan

Gobala Krishnan is a small business entrepreneur, author of the revolutionary "Internet Telephony Secrets" book at http://www.InternetTelephonySecrets.com/2/ and publisher of the "VoIP and Me" newsletter at http://www.MyBusinessVoIP.com Visit his sites to learn insider tips and tricks on using VoIP for your business.

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Consumers Become Increasingly Aware Of Voip

Writen by Jeremy Maddock

The number of British and American adults who are unfamiliar with VoIP has shrunk dramatically over the past few months, but over 50% still remain in the dark about this important communication technology, according to recent study.

The number of adults familiar with VoIP grew from 37% to 46% in the UK over the course of the last nine months. This figure grew even more noticeably in the United States, where it increased from 36% to 51%, according to survey by Harris Interactive.

There are still a lot of people, however, who haven't even heard of this highly efficient telecom technology. 41% of respondents in Britain, and 36% in the US claimed that they had never heard tell of VoIP.

As for individual companies, Vonage was the most recognized VoIP brand name in the US, while Skype and BT were neck and neck for the title in the UK. Vonage and Skype had higher brand awareness among male respondents, while men and women were equally aware of "mass market" players like BT, AOL, and Verizon.

"The entrance of more mainstream brands moves the VoIP market onto the next stage, raising the questions: Will the big players use their scale and presence to quickly establish dominance? Or will their arrival lend credibility to the market and benefit the specialists?" said Harris research drector, Derek Eccleston, in a statement.

(Originally published by TeleClick.ca on April 18, 2006)

About the Author:

Jeremy Maddock is a well-known technology blogger who writes about VoIP providers and the telecommunications industry in general.

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Voip Providers Review Choose The Best One For Your Business

Writen by Rashme Wong

Making phone calls applying a broadband Internet connection,known as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), is becoming so popular with corporations of each size. The prospect of paying a flat fee for unlimited long-distance phone calls is attractive to each company that has struggled to balance the want to conduct business phone calls with the cost of those calls.

Many companies are finding that installation of VoIP phones is simpler than traditional Private Branch eXchange (PBX) systems, since the desk sets can share the Ethernet cables already in place for the desktop computers. Now, I m going to review 3 most popular Voip Services providers who offer full service products primarily aimed at the small to medium sized business telephone market. Such companies typically support multi-line telephone systems, small PBX gateways and hosted VoIP.

Vonage will bring VoIP service without routing calls through your PC. When you sign higher for its DigitalVoice service, the company gives you a phone number in the area code of your option and sends you a free ashtray-size devices device known as an analog telephone adapter or even ATA. You easily plug the adapter into your network router and attach your phone to the adapter, and you're ready to produce calls. If you like, you are able to plug the adapter to a wall jack, connecting each phone in the home.

For corporations that want extensions and services that are even more closely identified with PBXs uncovered in the corporate globe, Vonage isn't a very good option. Its Microscopic Business Project is built on a lone line, similar to a residential line, and does not provide facilities for multiple extensions, call transfers, administrative functions, and the more tasks virtually all corporate users take for granted. 2 more vendors are better suited for the corporate environment.

Vonage Features:

Equipment required: Broadband telephone adapter, Motorola VT1005V
$30 activation fee.
No contract.
$39.99 termination fee after 14 days
Call waiting, caller ID and conference calling.
911 service

TalkSwitch 48-CVA

The TalkSwitch uses your phone company's existing phone lines and phone numbers to connect to the outside world, but uses your Internet connection to connect to other TalkSwitches in your company's remote offices. This setup is simple to install and lets you keep your existing phone numbers and lines. It also lets you keep your existing phone bills, since your long-distance calls still travel over your phone-company lines.

Where TalkSwitch shines is in its features as a PBX and its ability to connect remote offices and treat them as a single phone system. When two or more TalkSwitches connect through the Internet, the company has a virtual PBX. The offices can make calls to one another by dialing extensions that may be in the same office or at a remote office without incurring long-distance charges.

The same connection can be used to make standard calls to phone numbers that are local to the remote office but long-distance from the calling office. I found this feature worked well, but it requires the person making the call to know whether the number is local to the remote office. That's something many callers won't make the effort to deal with.

TalkSwitch 48-CVA Features:

Price: $1,795
4 lines in
4 VoIP trunks
8 local extensions
8 remote extensions
Expandable to a 16-line, 32-extension phone system by networking up to four 48-CA or 48-CVA units on the LAN
9 Auto Attendants
26 voice mailboxes
Built-in traditional and VoIP trunks for combined network access
Full-featured PBX telephone system
Customer installable and configurable via PC interface
Works with standard analog cordless or corded phones and
TalkSwitch TS 100 phone sets

Packet8 Virtual Office

Packet8 is a service provider. It will bring a "virtual office" by means of a hosted PBX that you are able to attach to from any broadband connection. The equipment consists of 1 DTA and 1 phone for every extension. Minimum configuration for a Packet8 system is 3 extensions, however there appears to be no upper limit to the number of extensions. Every DTA and phone combination costs $100, and there exists a $40 activation fee per line.

Because all the extensions attach to the equivalent PBX, calls to extensions and calls to outside amounts are processed just as they usually are in a corporate office. The phones have a huge LCD with soft-buttons for voicemail, don't disturb, and each feature you would expect in a corporate PBX. I personally discovered the system elementary to utilise however as well incredibly flexible. Phone functions are managed applying the phone's LCD and its buttons, while extension assignment, routing, auto-attendant, and system-related functions are managed through the PBX's Web interface.

Packet8's sound quality was incredibly fantastic. Calls between Packet8 VoIP lines were clear with no noticeable delay. Calls between Packet8 VoIP phones and standard phone lines were equally clear. The quality of the overall system was even more than acceptable.

This is the kind of system that fits any virtual office whose employees require to produce lots of long-distance calls. The Packet8 system is particularly well suited to today's distributed virtual businesses. The fact that all the extensions are section of the equivalent system and operate as a seamless phone system puts a consolidated face on the distributed office.

Packet8 Virtual Office Features:

Price: $40 per extension per month
Setup costs of $100 for equipment and $40 activation fee per line
Unlimited calling within the U.S. and Canada
Full-featured conference bridge for up to 20 participants
Auto-Attendant
Voicemail with message forwarding and e-mail notification
Call transfer and automatic call forwarding
3-way conferencing
Music/messaging on hold
Distinctive ringing for internal/external calls
Caller ID and call-waiting caller ID
Stutter tone notifications
Call park/call pick-up

Rashme Wong has been an Commuciation and Network Analyst for 5 years whose articles on Voip business have appeared on many major Voip websites. You can find more of these at: http://www.1voipphoneservice.info

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The Truth About Voip

Writen by Scott Sowle

VoIP has slowly made its way into the US mainstream. Currently more than 50% of Americans have or know about VoIP services (Most just know about it.). This is surprising, when only about 17% currently have broadband high speed internet. Some of those who have heard of VoIP did so from a high dollar marketing plan by one of the VoIP providers.

Why haven't many people switched from their traditional phone service to the more affordable VoIP service?

Many have been cautious of the 911 service, which is still being implemented by some VoIP providers and all of them do not cover many remote areas in the US. Currently providers are working on getting the whole of the US covered. We've heard stories of individuals calling 911 but only to have the emergency team respond to a wrong address. This is normally the fault of the VoIP subscriber not reporting a move of residence to their carrier. Also many VoIP services are transient and when they travel, 911 services are still located at their home residence or business. You will find that a few companies are working on including a GPS system into their VoIP devices, which will allow 911 services to pinpoint the individual's location. VoIP is still as reliable or better as a cell phone when it comes to 911 services.

Another concern of VoIP consumers is the loss of service when power goes out. This can be easily and somewhat inexpensively overcome by purchasing a battery back-up unit for your VoIP system. This not only will support your VoIP service during a power outage but will also prevent you from losing any work you may be doing on your PC.

Quality of calls once was a major issue for subscribers, but now has become less of a concern due new upgrades by providers and better informed users about their set-ups. When you compare VoIP with cellular services, VoIP will nearly always have a much better quality and is comparable to traditional phone service quality or in many cases surpasses it.

The truth with VoIP is that it is a great way to save over traditional phone costs. It may require a bit more attention than your old phone service, but the money it puts back into your pocket is worth it.

By Scott Sowle

For more VoIP Information go to http://www.altabroadband.com

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Voip Diet

Writen by Ricardo Trinidad

Everyone's heard of "fad diets" from the Atkins Diet to the Amputation Diet. The VOIP Diet is a sure-fire diet that lures you away from big, expensive and fattening power lunches. The VOIP Diet enables you to eat smart by working from home. Instead of hurried lunches at the burger place, open the fridge and eat last night's nutritious and inexpensive leftovers.

How can you lose weight on the VOIP Diet? Just install DSL or cable high-speed internet access and a Multitech VOIP extender in a converted spare room in your home or apartment. Multitech can connect to your office's phone system. As a part of our sales ACD group, I need to be available for our many sales requests. The first thing I noticed after installing the Multitech VOIP was my sales went through the roof. No more office distractions. I could now just focus on my customers.

The second thing I noticed was my car. I hardly drove and with gas costing roughly $3.00 per gallon, I'm content leaving my car right where it is. Of course, the best perk was seeing my family more. They loved it and I did too. I was home in the mornings and able to eat breakfast with them and I was home when they returned from school. It was a huge positive change with my wife and kids. They are so much happier and so am I. I still go to the office once a week but days of a long and hassled commute are over. And don't get me started on the 20 lbs I dropped by not eating at Mr. Beef.

Get the technology that enables more home time and encourages better eating. A single port, a Multitech VOIP gateway and extender costs only $995.00. You can install it on virtually any telephone system including Partner, Merlin Legend, Merlin Magix and Definity. VOIP works on ADSL, SDSL and Cable.

Spend more time at home. Reduce travel expenses. Increase productivity. Lose 20 lbs?

To find out more how you can take advantage of VoIP call me at 800-335-0229 ext 152. Ask me if I am still wearing my pajamas.

Ricardo Trinidad is an expert in Telecommunications, VoIP, and Business Phones Systems. You can view his website at http://www.telcom-data.com

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Move Over Geeks With Headsetsinternet Phone Services Are Mainstream Cool

Writen by Leanne Tremblay

Internet phone services are no longer restricted to geeks. Thanks to slick marketing campaigns, catchy jingles, and super low rates, broadband phone services have hit the mainstream.

It used to be that Internet phone services (also called Voice-over-IP, or VOIP), were not very popular. They suffered from two problems: one, the user could only call from computer to computer, and two, the voice quality was not very good. The first restricted the calling to users who had the same software and were also online at the same time. The second reduced the quality of interaction because the voice was not clear.

Today, broadband phone companies have overcome these problems. The result is Internet phone service that works and sounds like the traditional landline phone, and packs punch when it comes to free features like caller ID, call waiting, and 3-way calling.

In this exploding market, companies are in a sprint to sign up new customers. According voipproviderslist.com, there were more than 650 service providers selling broadband telephone service in North America alone, and the list continues to grow. Some of the better known ones are Skype, Vonage, Packet8, AT&T CallVantage, and Time Warner Cable.

All these services convert voice into data packets, which are then assigned IP numbers and sent over the Internet. When the call is from one Internet phone to another, these data packets completely bypass the existing phone network. However, when one of the phones connects to a conventional telephone service, then the voice call moves over two systems: the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) and the Internet. Because Internet phones both look and operate like regular phones, both parties are unaware that their voice is being converted into digital packets and reconverted into voice signals.

For monthly rates between $15 and $40, you can get residential internet phone service that provides unlimited calling throughout North America and low rates to everywhere else. But, if you are looking to replace your traditional phone, you should be aware of several key downsides.

One is that VOIP calls rely on wall power, so during a power outage you won't have any phone service. Another is that 911 emergency dialing is not automatically tied to a geographic address like it is with regular phones. This means that unless your VOIP service provider can register your physical address, and can forward it to a national emergency center who then routes the call, you must be prepared to provide this information to the emergency operator. This may be impossible if you are unable to speak or if the caller is a small child. Some users have also reported inconsistent voice quality, like clipping, dropped calls, echo, and background noise.

But, if you can put up with these drawbacks in exchange for up to 50% savings on your phone bill, then Internet phone service is for you. You'll find big company phone features packaged and priced right for residential use, home-based business, and frequent long distance calling.

Leanne Tremblay is the owner of http://www.quickstartvoip.com If you want to know if broadband internet phone service is right for you, then http://www.quickstartvoip.com is a good place to start. You'll find reviews, articles, and tutorials for choosing, installing and using voice-over-IP phone service in the home or small business.

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The Voip Telephone Services Revolution

Writen by Rick Hendershot

Ever since the birth of the internet, entrepreneurs with an eye to the future have predicted that voice communications -- telephone services -- would eventually be merged with internet services. With the widespread adoption of VoIP, that day has come, and it is causing a revolution in the telephone industry.

In simple terms, a VoIP service allows you to use your broadband (high-speed) connection to place telephone calls over the Internet. It is not difficult to see how this is rocking the telecom industry to the core.

It's all about cost

Two things have made traditional telephone service providers so powerful. Their monopoly over local telephone services, and their traditional stranglehold on lucrative and usually over-priced "long distance" services. Both of these captive markets have been seriously eroded over the last few years, as the reality of VoIP has started to sink in.

In anticipation of the revolution that is now upon us, most aspects of telephone service have gradually been opened up to competition. Most of us now have a choice of providers for both local and long distance telephone service. And the biggest reason for the new competitive environment is the recognition that the widespread adoption of VoIP is inevitable.

The development of VoIP

VoIP has been developing slowly over the last ten years or so. Early implementations allowed computer users to talk to each other through their computers. This was only feasible if you had a voice-enabled computer, a reliable and stable internet connection, and a software program installed on your computer that made it all work.

The advantage of this computer-to-computer communication was that you could completely bypass the traditional telephone system and talk to anyone in the world free of charge -- as long as they had a similar setup to yours. But the disadvantages of communicating this way were also obvious. You could only communicate this way using your computer. You were completely dependent on often unstable dial-up internet connections. And the person at the other end of the conversation had to also be "online" with a voice-enabled computer.

Today's VoIP has solved these problems

Today's versions of VoIP have left these problems in the past. Two things were required to make VoIP technology feasible on a large scale basis, and both of these things have now been realized.

First, broadband internet service has been widely adopted. This makes it possible to have stable internet connections that are "always on". Second, the industry has developed a simple, inexpensive method of integrating the IP network (the internet) with the traditional telephone system. This allows a user of VoIP to use his or her own telephone to call anyone else in the world who has a traditional telephone connection.

This is where we are today. As traditional telecom companies like AT&T, Bell, Qwest, and SBC develop their own implementations of VoIP technology the way has been opened up for a myriad of choices for consumers. Today's VoIP allows anyone with a broadband internet connection to place calls to anyone with an ordinary telephone connection, anywhere in the world.

Why you save money with VoIP

The major advantages of VoIP are lower cost, and greater flexibility with no significant decrease in voice quality. First, a VoIP subscriber does not need a traditional phone line. Instead, you are assigned a phone number by your VoIP provider. Prices for these numbers can be as low as $9 usd per month.

Second, most VoIP subscribers will purchase a "bundle" of services that includes unlimited incoming calls and unlimited long distance calls to anyone within a defined geographic area. For instance, VoIP unlimited calling plans to anyone in the USA or Canada start at around $20 per month.

Third, most VoIP service providers offer free bundled features that most traditional telephone companies charge for. These include free voicemail, call forwarding, caller ID, call waiting, call waiting ID, 3 way calling, speed dialing, and many more of the services that the traditional companies are constantly trying to sell you.

Greater flexibility and portability

Another significant advantage is the flexibility and portability of VoIP phone service. With VoIP your personal telephone number is programmed into the converter that acts as a bridge between your internet connection and your regular telephone.

This has several important advantages. As already mentioned you do not need an actual land line. Instead your telephone number is assigned to your converter (not to your geographic land line). So you can take your converter with you anywhere in the world, plug it into any available broadband connection, and immediately start using your regular number to make and receive calls.

This flexibility also lets you choose a number in an area code where most of your long distance calls originate. For instance, if many of your friends, family, business associates or customers are calling from a specific city that traditionally involved a long distance call for them, you could choose a number in that area code and immediately turn all their calls to you into local (free) calls for them.

The advantages of VoIP are many, and the savings can be very significant. So it is no wonder that VoIP has become the hottest telecom technology of the decade. Informed consumers and businesses around the world are adopting this technology at a phenomenal rate.

For more information on VoIP features and comparisons of VoIP service providers, see VoIP Comparisons, or visit our blog VoIP Providers.

Rick Hendershot is a writer and publisher of the Linknet Publishing Network - for article writing and publishing services and for high impact blog listings.

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Call Accounting For Voip And Analog Communication Systems

Writen by Rito Salomone

There was once a time when there were no telephones, facsimile machines, personal devices, computers or the Internet. Today most people cannot phantom such a primitive existence. Communication is the link that allows our world to function at its torrid pace. Business must continually adopt modern technology to successfully compete in a world that demands instantaneous results. The proper management of communication infrastructure is crucial in the success of any organization.

The entry points into every organization usually include a combination of auto attendant, custom call routing (CCR), voice mail, interactive voice response (IVR), automated call distribution (ACD), wireless and countless other devices. Many organizations are turning to communication servers over conventional PBX systems to deploy VoIP based pipelines that reduce cost and maximize flexibility. Voice and data communication can now co-exist and flow freely through the same bandwidth. Calls can easily be configured to simultaneously ring multiple devices, hunt to wireless or home phones, route to voice mail or forward to another call center.

Communication management is now a multi-pronged approach that combines statistics from various facilities to identify billing irregularities, misuse, bottlenecks, inactivity, productivity or workforce expense.

Billing reconciliation is often overlooked since carriers always bill based on contracted tariff plans, right? According to analysts at Gartner, "Organizations can routinely save more than 10% of their annual telecommunications expenses by systematically checking their carrier bills against equipment and services in use." But it is no longer effective to look exclusively at your traditional telephone invoices and compare them to the call accounting system in the back room.

The old adage rings true today "you cannot manage what you cannot measure". Call accounting is no longer the killer application of current times but it is certainly a necessary component. Leading edge communication management systems now collect system logs, Internet usage reports, router statistics, voice mail logs, CCR, hunt group information and various device-dependent logs as well as traditional call detail records (CDR).

Have you ever called your favorite electronics store to inquire about the latest digital cameras but got trapped in a series of never-ending prompts about store hours, hard drive specials and video games? Many companies are taking advantage of communication management systems (CMS) that study activity from automated attendant and custom call routing trees. These reports help pinpoint whether calls are being prematurely dropped, abandoned or misdirected. It is imperative that customers are quickly and efficiently routed to their desired destination. The customer experience with your communication facilities will dictate whether they return.

Cost allocation to various corporate levels has been a basic functionality of most robust call accounting system for years. The downward trend of long distance expenses due to falling carrier rates, bundled services and VoIP competition has lessened the importance of this feature. This has resulted in the misconception that call accounting is no longer relevant. However many companies forget that there are many hidden costs that can be highlighted through proper use of call accounting or communication management software.

If Jimmy in sales spends half his time talking on the phone, management might be thrilled at his dedication. However if Jimmy is spending half his time talking to his girlfriend, perhaps management should take a second look. Call Accounting can be a key indicator of misuse and employee productivity. Employee productivity recovery is one of the primary reasons to own a system today!

Often fraudulent calls may be routed through corporate facilities without the knowledge of the company. Hackers can find faults in improperly designed networks, infrequently used extensions, voice mail ports and tandem trunks. A call accounting watchdog should always be monitoring activity for irregular patterns. Modern call management systems utilize SMS, pager, email and web interfaces for instantaneous reporting.

Communication management is imperative in providing the proper metrics for migrating to IP. Most companies do not even have a proper migration strategy. Call accounting can help ease the transition by highlighting traffic volumes, peak hours, grade of service, abandoned calls, blocked calls, calls to reception and various other peg counts. These statistics will help determine the bandwidth needs and requirements for auto attendant, wireless, IVR and other services.

Some communication management systems have been established interoperability with major manufacturers such as Nortel, Cisco and Avaya. These systems often provide more tight knit integration through third party call control. These solutions often enhance the hardware by adding such features as: forced and verified account codes, call trace, set locking and real time emergency notification.

Often companies forget about the need for pinpointing the source of a telephone call in case of an emergency. Many call accounting systems have built-in real time alarm triggers that will alert authorized personnel of an emergency call. This feature is crucial when seconds could mean life or death.

Call accounting has definitely evolved and matured into communication management. The need for this software is more important than ever.

References: Call Accounting for Every Enterprise (http://ezinearticles.com/?id=86399), Rito Salomone, October 2005 Better Management of Telecom Expenses, March 15, 2005 Additional Reference: What Great Telecom Managers Know, Roger Yang, Avema, June 2005

Rito Salomone is the president of Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI). He has 17 years experience in the field of communication management solutions.

For more information you can review: http://www.telecost.com or contact the author at rsalomone@telecost.com

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The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Using Voip

Writen by Thomas Schueneman

VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is fast becoming the darling of the telcoms. Everyone is jumping on the internet phone (or ip phone) bandwagon and the promise of cheap phone service for all.

However, like all emerging technologies, the hype sometimes outruns the reality, and while VoIP is certainly a promising new technology that will undoubtedly change the way we think of the telephone, there are still a few bugs in the system. It isn't right or even available for everyone yet, but for many VoIP provides an attractive alternative to traditional phone service.

Let's run down a brief overview of the principal advantages and disadvantages of VoIP.

Advantages of VoIP:

If you have a broadband connection with either DSL or cable, you are able to use VoIP and avail yourself with the principal advantage of VoIP telephone service – low cost. For a PC-to-PC phone call it can even be no cost to any other computer anywhere in the world (that has VoIP service installed as well, of course). While there is usually a cost to make a PC-to-phone connection, it is usually less than a "traditional" long distance call.

Many VoIP service providers will charge a monthly fee allowing you to make unlimited calls within a specified geographical area, with a nominal extra charge for calls outside that set area. For instance, all calls within North America may be included in the monthly fee, with overseas calls costing a bit extra.

For the traveler, VoIP provides the advantage of portability. As long as you have access to a broadband connection – and they are becoming more and more ubiquitous with each passing year – you can easily and cheaply keep in touch with family, friends, and business associates. Just pack a headset or ip phone in your bag. Then all you need to do is sign on to your VoIP service and make your call. No worrying about cell phone coverage, roaming, or long distance charges.

This portability is available for phone-to-phone VoIP service as well. Your VoIP service provider will provide you with an internet phone number that follows you wherever you go. Even if you're phone service is based in Seattle and you happen to be in Botswana, you simply plug your ip phone into any broadband connection (perhaps a little more sparse in Botswana) and make your call, just as if you were sitting on your couch in Seattle. IP phones are light and very portable, just like carrying a cell phone, and just try to call home from Botswana on your cell phone!

Many of the same features that you've come to expect as standard with your traditional and cell phone service is available with VoIP service. Services like call forwarding, call waiting, voicemail, caller ID, three-way calling and more are available through your ip phone, usually at no extra charge. You can also send data, as you would expect with a broadband internet connection, like pictures and documents, all while talking on the phone.

Disadvantages of VoIP:

What a great thing VoIP is! Why would anyone still be using traditional phone service? Well, for one thing, most people still don't have a broadband connection, though that number is steadily decreasing. And there are other problems yet with VoIP.

Two of the biggest problems are power interruptions and emergency calls.

When your power goes out, you can still pick up your "normal" phone to call the power company to tell them your power just went out. This is because a traditional phone is powered by the phone line. This isn't the case with an ip phone. If the power goes out, then there is nothing to power your internet connection or your ip phone. A workaround is to use battery backups or power generators to keep you VoIP service powered, but that is certainly more of a hassle than just picking up your phone and having it externally powered.

An even more serious concern is that of emergency 911 calls. With a traditional phone, a 911 call is quickly traced to its origin and routed to the nearest call center where the operator will be able to see your location on his or her computer screen. This is not the case with VoIP. It is not possible to determine where a VoIP call is originating from, making the use of VoIP for emergency calls less than ideal. To solve this problem, there is an emerging standard known as "e911" that should one day satisfactorily address this issue.

There are also issues with VoIP sound quality and reliability. Just like any data sent over the internet, it is sent through the network scrambled into "packets". Email and other documents sent over the internet are easily "reassembled" at the other end for a seamless transmission. Due to the real-time nature of voice communication, this reassembly process becomes more of a problem with VoIP. In order to minimize the delay of the voice connection, some data packets may occasionally need to be "dropped" if they don't arrive in time, resulting in short periods of silence in the audio stream.

The amount of dropped data depends on the distance and speed of the connection. High traffic networks may experience more dropouts, especially at times of peak usage. One workaround that service providers can use is to create dedicated data paths for audio transmission.

Given the growth and increasing popularity of VoIP, it seems that all these disadvantages will be overcome in time. Now is the time that the major service providers – isp's and telcoms – are using their formidable resources to work through the VoIP bugs. It is estimated that as soon as 2007 most of the kinks will be ironed out and VoIP should receive widespread consumer acceptance.

Stay tuned! Or call me on my ip phone!

Tom Schueneman works as a sound engineer, information publisher, writer, and general gadget hound. Visit his VoIP tutorial site at http://www.voip-tutorial.com

Why My Business Chose Voip

Writen by Anthony Jones

My world got smaller, my business grew five times over, and I got talking

I'm a web designer and I work wacky hours, push buttons on a computer, talk to a lot of people, send out email, drink coffee, like the Discovery Channel and enjoy running my own business. My business consists of working with people, helping businesses out, generating ideas, communicating with others, creating reports, talking to people. Sometime I talk about business, sometimes about the internet and sometimes I talk about nothing. If you catch me in an espresso moment, you'll probably want to stop talking to me after a while.

My business has clients that are everywhere in the world. My clients need me at all hours at times, hence the cappuccino moments. My clients want things done yesterday. My clients like good work, good communication, and good results. My clients can be demanding, abrasive or reactive. I put out fires to keep my clients happy, its part of my business. Sometimes my clients can't wait for me to call and sometimes I can't wait to not talk to them at all. My business relies on me being in touch with my clients. These days, who do you know that does not need to be in touch with someone out there?

At the end of the day, I need to keep in touch with my business customers, because if I don't, I won't see any steak or cake next month.

I have a cell phone, a computer, a scanner, a printer, a telephone, a pda, a new iPod, a digital camera, some speakers, headphones, a wireless mouse and various other gadgets to keep my life simple and keep my business running smoothly. Little did I know that there is this something new out there called VOIP. Voice over Internet Protocol. Sounds high tech huh?

With all the phones, cell phones, internet phones, pagers and everything that is out there to communicate with, why would I now need VOIP?

Do I really need another device on top of another device? Do I really need to figure out how to use another gadget? Do I need to download more software to my computer? What all do I have to buy now? I pride myself in being up to date and with the times and on top of all that is new out there, but this thing surprised me, because it's been out there already for a while. The more I looked in to it, the more I found there to be people subscribing to this technology of getting free, or shall we call it, unlimited long distance. I'll explain more about the technical parts of the technology a bit later.

Here's my most recent scenario of why I chose to even consider VOIP.

I recently moved to a community where for some reason I am out of the local calling area for the district that I live in. That's not exciting when all my clients live in the city and now it costs me money to make a simple phone call. Long distance during the day is not cheap yet. So I decided to look at my options.

Do I use my cell phone and make long distance calls? If I did that, I run the risk of using up my valuable daytime minutes. It turns out, long distance on some cell phone plans are almost double the rate the normal landline rates. I can just see my bills now running close to a thousand a month.

Second option was email to stay in touch with everyone. Email is great, but when you need that answer right away or a simple yes or no, somehow it just did not work out for me. I'd heard the common feedback, "Sorry, I was away from the computer", "My computer has a virus", "What email?" Don't get me wrong, I rely on email daily, but for some matters it just was not there for that instant touch.

I called the phone company and they gave me a few options. Would add a bit extra on to the phone bill, but I was limited to time and to when I would be able to make call. Sure I can make call during the day, but guess what, climb that money tree and shake some more coins out of it.

I tried downloading some of these free long distance internet software applications. Worked fine, but to have free calls, others would wither have to have the same software and they would need to be in front of their computers. Remember, their computer is still in the shop and they are away from it most of the time. Don't get me wrong, for some people, these systems work great and productivity is greatly increased. My issue was I could not get everyone I wanted on board to download the software without me having to troubleshoot and guide through the usage.

Then I talked to a friend and she told me about the service she was using for all her long distance needs. Somehow I do recall her calling me from Toronto and us talking forever about nothing. Then the following week she called me from New York and we talked again. I began to wonder what her phone bill was like every month. So I asked her.

It turns out she was and still is paying a flat rate per month and gets unlimited long distance calling anywhere in North America.

What? Run that by me again? Unlimited, there's no such thing as unlimited. There has to be limits. Even on some of these advertised cell phone plans where they tell you that it is unlimited, if you read the fine print, somewhere in there it says you are limited to ten thousand something or another.

I asked her for more information. She basically told me that she signed up with this company, they sent her an adapter, she plugs any home phone in to it, plugs the adapter in to the internet and starts calling. That's it. Any software downloads? Anybody else to call to set it up? Turns out, she simply went online, chose the package the wanted, the unlimited one of course, selected her phone number and within days had her phone adapter arrive in the mail. After that, wherever she traveled to, she would take the adapter with her, plug it in to the internet and start making calls. Best of all, people would call her on her local number and no matter where she was in North America, she would be able to take the call. If the was away from her phone, voicemail would kick in. If she decided she wanted to go mobile, she would call forward the calls to her mobile.

I called her a couple of times on her local number and instead of asking where she was in the city; I'd have to ask where she was in the country right now. Quality of the call was the same all the time. Unlimited means unlimited. Does not limit you to the city you are in, does not limit you to how many minutes you want to talk. Does not limit you from what device you want to talk from. That's this new thing called VOIP.

When she told me the price she was paying per month, I was immediately on the computer looking up the website and signing up. Obviously I ended up taking the unlimited plan for only $15 a month. This I had to try out.

So I go on with my day. I go on with my next day. Pushing buttons, sending emails, making calls when all of a sudden the mail dude finds my doorbell.

The package arrives.

The unlimited phone deal thing arrives. My answer arrives. The box arrives. The box with the thing inside arrives. You get the point.

Now what?

Eagerly I open the box only to find a small silver device within it. It's called the Sipura! Exciting.

I see it has some places where I can connect things to, so being the type of person that does not read manuals, I start plugging things in. One connection is obviously to my high speed internet connection. Another connection looks like a phone connection. Last one would be the power to give it juice. Done.

Now what?

I look around the box looking for software, but see none. Something is wrong. Now I dig out the manual and look to see what I do next. Apparently nothing, start making calls. Ok, this is way too simple. I pick up my phone receiver and hear a dial tone. Now, I could get in to what that meant to me and how it made me feel, but we won't go in to that right now. I call my friend only to find I have a connection and I can communicate. It's that simple. I call another friend who is 3 hours in a different time zone, works just perfect. I more people and my working day is now corrupted calling friends and family with whom I haven't talked to in ages. Another new wonder in my life.

What I did find out after the fact was that I also had all these cool features included in the price of my plan. Voicemail, caller ID, call forwarding, 3 way calling and more. Yikes, I would be paying how much extra with the phone or cellular companies just to have them. When you do you research, you find that most, if not all, VOIP service providers have these features included in their plans. Another benefit and star for VOIP.

Something I did like right away was that the adapter is about the size of my wallet. I can easily stow it away in my laptop bag and take it with me wherever I go out of town and still make call without paying long distance - day or night.

On to the technical part ... we'll keep this brief.

VOIP is short for Voice over Internet Protocol. Some companies will call this technology broadband phone service, digital phone service, voice over IP, internet phone service and other variations on this name. Basically what it means is that is allows you to send and receive audio, such as your voice, back and forth over the Internet. IP is the acronym for Internet Protocol and is the standard for sending and receiving information over the Net. The adapter that you receive from you VOIP company in most cases is called the ATA adapter (Analog Telephone Adapter) and this will convert your analog audio signal (which is your great voice) and to a digital signal so that it can be transmitted via the internet. By doing this, you are bypassing the local telephone company and making and receiving call over the internet. Hence the name Voice over IP. For most providers, it's as simple as taking the ATA adapter out of the box, plugging your phone in to the device and start making phone calls. There are also IP phones which are dedicated VOIP telephones. Instead of having the standard RJ-11 connections, they have a RJ-45 Ethernet connection. Once again, take the phone, plug it in and off you go.

Where to get this voip unlimited long distance service?

There are a number of voip providers out there from offering various services, deals and promotions. Explore your options, determine your needs, and ask questions.

At the end of the day, I ended up getting a few of my friends and clients signed up with VOIP. They're happy, especially when some of them opted for the service provider that offered 2 months free unlimited plans.

Anyways, it's getting late here and I should be off to bed. Then again, someone out in New York is just getting up and really deserves an early morning call from me to let them know I'm thinking of them.

Article written by Michael Anthony Jones who manages various websites, one of them being http://voip.shopbuydeals.com/ deals on VOIP products and services.

Shop VOIP ShopBuyDeals for current deals on Voice over IP services.