About the VoIP provider industry and service… If you
are considering a VoIP company service provider, you are not alone. On
January 1, 2004 there were approximately 150,000 residential VoIP
customers. It is estimated that by 2007 there will be over 4.5 million
VoIP customers. A lot of the large Telecom companies, like AT&T,
Qwest, and SBC, are creating VoIP products as we
speak. Some people say the quality of VoIP calls
is not as good as traditional phone service, however the quality is much
better than cellular service. On a quality scale of 100, it is our opinion
that regular telephone service gets a quality rating of 99, VoIP service a
98, and cellular service an 85. Like traditional phone lines, there is no
delay when speaking on a VoIP phone. Click here for a list of the most
popular VoIP service providers currently available.
How does VoIP service work? In simple terms, a
VoIP service allows you to use your broadband (high-speed) connection to
place telephone calls inexpensively over the Internet ( Click here
for all of the broadband carriers available in your
area. Plans start at $26.95/month). You can call anyone that has a
phone number. The person you are calling does NOT need to be using
a VoIP provider in order for you to call them. The VoIP company provider
compresses your voice into digital packets so it can easily be sent over
the Internet. The digital packets are reassembled back into the
conversation at the receiving end. By having the call go through the
Internet, you can avoid long distance carriers completely. The quality is
excellent, and the cost is only a fraction of what traditional phone
companies charge. Click here for more
advantages of using a VoIP service.
What Equipment do I need to be able to use a VoIP service?
There are 4 items you need to get started with VoIP
Service
- A high-speed Internet connection. Exp.DSL/Cable, Ethernet LAN, WiFi,
T-1 or T-3 lines
- A DSL/Cable broadband router that will allow you to split your
internet connection allowing you to be on the telephone and use your
computer to surf the internet at the same time. Popular router
manufacturers are D-Link, Linksys, Motorola, and Netgear and can be
bought at CompUSA.com or your local computer retailer for less than $30.
- Any regular telephone.
- A phone converter device (provided by the VoIP carrier).
Your equipment will be set up as follows:
Internet connection from
the wall ---- > Connects to the Router------> which connects to the
provided phone converter ------> which is connected to your regular
telephone.
As you can see, although the technical aspect of VoIP can be quite
complicated, luckily, the VoIP providers have made it as simple as
Plug-and-Play. Your VoIP service will be set up within 5 minutes as soon
as you receive your telephone converter in the mail.
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