VoIP Providers List Worldwide VoIP Providers Directory

Voice over IP telephony is a fabulous way to save money and communicate with friend's family, clients and business workers over the internet. You can actually communicate vocally with people without paying long distance charges, which is a great way to save money and keep the world flat. Thousands of consumers save a plethora of cash each month just by replacing their traditional telephone service with personal voice over IP telephony. Large corporations and long distance carriers have used IP to transmit voice on their private networks for years.

Additionally, private citizens have used their computers and the Internet to talk with other PC users for a few years now, but in the past users of such solutions have had to contend with poor voice quality and the need for at least one computer to be connected to the Internet. The majority of VoIP service providers actually offer all-inclusive calling plans that provide you with unlimited local, regional and long distance at flat rates starting as low as twenty-five dollars per month! Some offer usage-based plans at a lower monthly cost and most provide inexpensive per minute rates on international calls as well.

Service providers also include a conglomeration of advanced features such as name and number caller ID, call forwarding, call blocking and voice mail that traditional phone companies sell as premium services. When signing up for VoIP service, several providers give you the option of choosing the area code, and possibly the exchange, for your service.

Remember that since the data travels across the Internet, there is the potential for dropouts or burbles that are similar to what is experienced on a cell phone. Most people we called during our tests were surprised at the quality of the calls, and did not realize they were on a VoIP connection until we told them. Keep in mind that the call quality for VoIP providers who do not manage their IP networks and depend on the Internet for routing will yield varying and sometimes disappointing voice quality and unreliable connections.

There is just one major disadvantage to VoIP. This is the need for a reliable broadband connection. Power outages present another conundrum. Since VoIP requires a live Internet connection, losing electricity means losing your phone service. Keep these simple factors in mind when considering the purchase of VoIP.

By Groshan Fabiola