Choosing a VOIP Service Provider
There are two main ways you can start using VoIP - you can use one of the many free VoIP services (such as Skype) or you can pay a monthly fee and sign up with a VoIP Service Provider.
Choosing which method suits you best depends on how you expect to use VoIP. If you only want to communicate with friends and family over the Internet, one of the free services may be sufficient. However, if you're looking for a real alternative to your existing PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) phone service, you should consider signing up with a VoIP service provider that offers package deals based on a monthly fee.
There are many VoIP Service Providers to choose from and most offer basic services like call forwarding, call waiting, and call display in their standard monthly fee. The real differences in providers are the rates they charge for long-distance or overseas calls. You should choose a plan which will be the most economical for the type of calling that you do.
VoIP Service Providers offer many different price plans. Most fall into two categories. Unlimited or Limited Package plans. Unlimited plans give you no limits to the amount of calls you make within a geographic location, like Canada and USA. You pay a flat monthly fee, and you will be able to make an unlimited amount of free calls within the geographic area specified in the plan. These plans are slightly more expensive, but are well worth the money if you already make lots of long distance calls. Limited Package plans offer you a certain amount of minutes worth of free calls every month. After you have used up your free minutes, you will be charged for your calls. You need to weigh up your options when deciding what type of plan to go for. If you choose the correct plan that meets your needs you will make a significant cost savings. If you usually make international calls, you will need research the international pricing for each service provider by the service provider. Also check the rates for calling mobile or cell phones. |
You may want to keep your existing phone number when signing up for a VoIP service. If the service provider offers local phone numbers in your area, there's a chance that you can keep your old phone number, but there is no guarantee and it may not be possible to keep your old telephone number when you switch to a VoIP service. If this is important to you, check with both your telephone company and the VoIP service provider to make sure you keep your old number.
Emergency 911 calls are one of the most difficult technical problems of VoIP. The main problem is that it is hard to determine your physical location when you are making a VoIP phone call, so 911 calls may not be routed to the correct call center, and even if they are, the operators cannot determine your location if you are unable to speak. Various VoIP service providers have come up with a number of solutions including registering your address with the provider, having a notification system that calls friends and relatives, as well as hardware solutions built into the VoIP equipment. When choosing a VoIP Service provider you must check what type of 911 service they provide, and how it is set up. In the United States, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) is demanding that VoIP service providers come up with a solution that allows emergency VoIP calls to be accurately situated, and VoIP service providers are actively searching for a way to provide this service. |
Most VoIP service providers offer additional phone numbers in various locations. These are known as Virtual Numbers. For example, you could have local phone numbers in several different cities allowing people in those cities to call you at any time for the cost of a local call. If you receive a lot of calls from a certain geographic location, make sure your VoIP service provider can give you a local phone number in that place.
Some VoIP service providers offer incentives when you sign up. For example, free phones, free ATA devices, free month of services and various other discounts. Some VoIP service providers also offer promotional coupons and discount codes. A tip here is to do an Internet search in Google for the service provider plus the phrase ‘coupon code’. If you do find any coupon codes, you will be able to enter it on the screen as you sign up for a VoIP service. The savings can be anywhere between 2% – 15% off the usual price.
As you can see, VoIP Service providers all offer very similar services. If you carefully choose the VoIP Service Provider and plan that meets your needs you will end up saving a substantial amount of money.
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