Broadband phone phone service also know as “Voice over Internet Telephony” (VOIP) is becomming increasingly popular. It comes as no suprize, with unlimited long distance and local calling rates as low as $14.99 per month.
Most plans include many of the features for which your local company charges you extra, such as caller ID, call waiting, voicemail, etc., come at no additional charge with broadband phone.
Broadband phone takes ordinary telephone service to new levels of affordability. If you have a high-speed internet connection, you can save a lot of money on your local and long distance telephone service with a broadband phone. In most cases, you’ll need an adapter to plug into your high-speed modem, and then plug your phone into that adapter and your ready to go (off course, you need to have a monthly service subscription).
Now we know whats good about VOIP telephone services: caller ID, call waiting, voicemail, etc., come at no additional charge with plans that feature unlimited local and national long distance for a relatively low monthly fee.
What’s bad about Broadband phone service?
1. It’s only as reliable as your internet provider. If your internet service is down so is your phone servce. (Some plans offer a service to foward calls to another number such as your cell phone so that you don’t miss any important calls).
2. When the technology was new there were complaints about the dropped calls and the quality of the calls. Most of these appear have been resolved as the technology has progressed.
3. Enhanced 911 service may not be available with all plans. This may be a very important consideration for you. It is for me. Even in the last two months the number of VOIP services that are able to offer enhanced 911 services has increased greatly. I expect that all broadabnd phone providers will eventually be able to provide enhanced 911 service.
4. Number portability. Your current phone number may not be available. If that is important to you then Broadband phone service will not be for you.
So, is broadband VOIP phone service for you? Only you can decide that. As the technology matures, the problems I have noted are being overcome. Depending on where you live and the broadband service that is available to you, you may not experience any of the problems I noted. I encouarge you to check out and throughly compare broadband plans to see which one fulfills your needs.
Let me know what you about your experience with broadband VOIP phone service
