Internet Phone Service is Here
|
|
 |
Email to Friend |
 |
Print |
|
(ARA) - You may have heard of VoIP, but what is it exactly, and should you really care? Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is simple when called “Internet phone service.” But for some reason someone decided it should be called an acronym. But once you get past the need of understanding how Internet phone service sends your calls over your high-speed connection, the nifty part is that it reduces home telephone bills by hundreds of dollars every year.
VoIP has been around for years. In the beginning Techno-wizards were talking across the Internet to other computer users, buying special microphones and loving the science of making it all work. But recently the technology has grown up.
The bottom line -- Internet phone service is now as good as your “regular” phone line. It is easy to install and the high-speed Internet connections necessary for service are more widely available throughout America.
This new technology is much easier than it sounds. You have regular phone numbers, use regular phones and dial regular numbers. You can make and receive calls to and from any phone in the world, just like you do now. Set-up is simple. All you need is a high-speed Internet connection and an adapter that you plug into your cable or DSL modem and you’re set.
Cutting your phone bill in half is no exaggeration. Prices have been dropping into the mid $20s for a month of unlimited phone service. Many big phone companies are still selling a month of unlimited long-distance and local calls for $50 month. And they charge for additional services, such as voice mail, that are being tossed in by some Internet phone companies at no extra cost.
The best VoIP offer is an all-inclusive deal from SunRocket, a company started by two telecom executives who left MCI to “build a better phone company.” Paul Erickson, SunRocket’s CEO says “the company is committed to making it simple and risk-free for consumers.”
SunRocket is offering an entire year of home phone service for $199 -- with no “gotchas” -- no hidden charges, activation fees, contracts, or the usual “surprises” you find on your regular phone bill. A year of unlimited phone service has never been offered in this country before -- especially at a rate of less than $17 per month. That is for all of your local and long distance calls, with some international calling included as well. And not to be overlooked is the benefit of a second phone number that comes with the service.
Pay once, and don’t worry about it again for an entire year. And even if you decide to cancel after the initial 31-day guarantee, the company says you can get a refund for any unused months if you are not satisfied at any time.
So now the only question is do you buy it as a gift, or buy it for yourself? You might even want to call it a New Year’s resolution to save some money . . . talk more with friends . . . or just get rid of your monthly phone bill. But whatever the reason, my guess is that VoIP will be the telephone technology for the household in the years to come. There is no reason why it shouldn’t be.
Courtesy of ARA Content
| 
