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VOIP - An Alternative Phone Service
by Fawn Rawson
http://www.frphone.com

Vonage, Lingo, VoiceWing, CallVantage - if these names
aren't familiar to you yet, they will be before long. They
are the top four current VOIP (voice over internet protocol)
service providers.

Two of them, Lingo and Vonage, are new companies in the
business of communications. The other two are new services
offered by communications giants Verizon and AT&T. All of
them promise to give you unlimited long distance and local
phone service for prices ranging from $24.95 to $49.95 a
month.

Vonage isn't the only VoIP service, but it is the most well-
known, thanks to an enormous marketing push. According to a
spokesperson from Vonage, their business is growing at the
rate of 1500 new subscribers a month. Those new subscribers
are enjoying unlimited local and long distance phone service
for as little as $39.95 a month for business service and
$24.95 monthly for residential. Is VoIP phone service a good
choice for you? The answers to a few simple questions can
help you decide.

In addition, with the ability to keep your current phone
number, known as local number portability, you may be able
to keep one phone number for life. That same number
portability opens other options for customers. Want a
virtual phone number in Daytona Beach even though you live
in Oregon? You can do it. Want to list a phone number with a
local exchange in Dallas, Chicago and Seattle? It can be
done.

Is VoIP reliable phone service? VoIP has been around as a
low-cost way to make phone calls from your computer for a
lot of years. In general, your VoIP service will work as
long as a) your internet connection is up and running and b)
your electrical service is on. It won't operate during a
power outage, and losing your DSL or cable will also put
your phone out of service. If your internet carrier goes
down even occasionally, you'll want to keep regular phone
service at least as a backup - or get an uninterruptable
power supply.

Cell phones, however, offer a major advantage that VOIP
doesn't - yet. In order to use VOIP, you need a source of
electricity to power the 'box' into which your telephone is
plugged. The convenience of cell phone portability gives
people a good reason to overlook little inconveniences like
the occasional lost signal or scratchy line.

Can I use my VOiP phone number when I'm traveling? In a
word, yes. You'll have your phone with you wherever you plug
in your 'box', whether it's your living room or a hotel room
in Naples.

In order to take advantage of VOIP, you'll need a high speed
internet connection - either DSL or cable. You'll also need
a special telephony box to translate data to voice and vice
versa. In most cases, your VOIP company will provide your
box. You simply plug your phone and computer into your box,
plug your box into the cable, and start taking calls.

Phone number portability also means that wherever you are,
your phone number will be the same. This can be a great boon
when traveling. Wherever you are, you can simply plug in
your box, plug a handset into it and you'll be reachable at
your usual number.

Where can I find out more about VoIP phone service? You can
check the home pages of these VoIP providers: Vonage
(www.vonage.com) At&T CallVantage (www.callvantage.com)
Lingo (www.lingo.com) Verizon Voicewing (www.voicewing.com)

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