VoIP phone
service providers offer many advantages to the residential and small
office/home office user. If you have a high speed internet connection then
choosing a VoIP phone service might be right for you
Lower Monthly Fees
The price of a VoIP phone
line is a fraction of the cost of a traditional telephone line, the long
distance calls are much less expensive if they are made via a VoIP
provider, and applicable taxes are far lower with VoIP phone service than
with a traditional phone service. Some VoIP phone service providers offer
a phone line for around $9
U.S.
dollars per month and will charge you for calls
you make at the rate of 1-3 cents per minute depending on the provider.
Most VoIP phone providers offer a bundled service offering unlimited
incoming calls and unlimited long distance calls to anyone in the U.S. or
Canada for one small fee. VoIP unlimited calling plans start at $19.95 per
month. Click here to see a list
of VoIP Providers.
Lower Taxes
As of the writing of this
article, governments have taken a hands off approach when it comes to VoIP
phone service providers. Since the calls are being carried over the
Internet, governments have not heavily taxed VoIP phone services. Right
now the only tax you can expect to see on your VoIP phone service
provider's bill is a Federal Excise Tax, which is only 3% of the cost of
the service. For example, if you were to choose a $19.95 unlimited calling
plan, the Federal Excise tax would be 3% of $19.95, or 60 cents. Your
total bill would be $20.55. Compare that to your local telephone bill (go
ahead and take a close look) and you will see you are spending quite a bit
on taxes each month. Therefore, choosing a VoIP provider could add up to
significant savings for you and your family.
Included Features
Most VoIP phone service
providers offer features that are included, while most traditional phone
companies charge an extra $20 to $30 per month for. Most VoIP phone
providers include the following features in their low monthly fee: Free
voicemail, call forwarding, caller ID, call waiting, call waiting ID, 3
way calling, speed dialing and much more. Click here to view a
side-by-side comparisons of the top VoIP providers.
Flexibility
When you choose a VoIP phone
service provider, you will be sent a converter to allow a regular phone to
use the VoIP phone service. (Click here
to get an explanation of how VoIP phone service works) Your phone
number is programmed into the converter. This means that you can take your
phone converter and phone number and use them wherever you travel in the
world, just as long as you have access to a high-speed Internet
connection. Because your telephone number is based in your converter (and
not your home), you have the option of choosing any area code for your
phone number. Some carriers will allow you to have more than 1 phone
number in different area codes for a small additional fee (called a
virtual phone number). For example, you can have one number in your local
area code and another phone number with an area code from another city. By
having a virtual phone number in another city where you have a lot of
friends and family, you will be saving them money because they can call
you on a local number instead of paying for long distance charges to
contact you. Both phone numbers will ring your VoIP phone wherever you
have your converter and regular phone hooked up to a high speed internet
connection.
|
