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Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, is a leading-edge technology that industry analysts are certain will revolutionize the way we use our phones. That revolution may be a quiet one, but there is truth in such grand language. The bare essentials of how we use the telephone are not going to change overnight; we're still going to dial a phone number, and we're still going to screen calls. But there are 3 major differences between VoIP and the current standard that will forever alter our relationship with the telephone.

Mobility

Have you ever wished you could take your office number with you when you travel? Maybe you have a toll-free number and you simply can't be unreachable? Sure your cell phone will work, but how much will that cost? VoIP enables affordable mobility in unprecedented ways. The VoIP adapter that your phone plugs into is designed to be universal. You can connect it to any phone and broadband internet connection in the world and take any of your numbers with you wherever you go. Without roaming charges! And if you really want to explore the mobility of VoIP, try getting a phone number from another country. For a small monthly fee, you can get a number local to hundreds of cities around the world and take the long distance burden off of family and friends that want to call you.

Convenience

In the modern age, we use our telephones more than ever, and what we can do with them would astonish Alexander Graham Bell. We have call display, voicemail, call waiting, 3-way calling, and a host of other convenience calling features. VoIP, the new telephony, allows for these features and so many more. Think it might be fun to have your voicemail sent to you by email? VoIP can make it happen. But it's real-time, online account management that separates VoIP from the the ways of yesterday. Sure, the old phone company will send you a online bill, but you can only get it once a month. What if you're at your brother's house and need to check the number of that girl who called you last night? Go online and check a log of your calls. While you're at it, see you exactly how much you've spent on long distance this month, and forward your calls to your cell. VoIP gives you absolute control over your account.

Cost

A French phone number and emailed voice messages can be a lot of fun, and they can certainly be useful in certain situations, but let's face it; when you switch to VoIP, you want to save money. And depending on how you use the phone, you can save a lot. We mentioned the convenience of taking your home or office number with you. But imagine eliminating the roaming charges altogether! Let's say you're not the adventurous type and you let your fingers do the walking. Chances are you have friends or family that live outside of your city. Do you wait until Sunday evening to make all of your long distance calls? That's not necessarily the most convenient way to operate, and it can still cost an arm and a leg to call overseas. With VoIP, long distance charges within your country are usually eliminated and rates to other countries are slashed by, in some cases, as much as 90%.

Today we use the Internet for a myriad of tasks that previously we never thought possible. We shop for groceries online, we send flowers from a website, and we order a set of our photographs by sending an email. One day we'll look back and marvel that there was a time when we didn't make calls over the net. The number of consumers that are switching to VoIP is increasing every minute, and it's not difficult to see why.

By Jesse Wallace