Truphone today launched a beta version of its VoIP client called Truphone Anywhere for BlackBerry smartphones. It’s a cheapest way to make international calling to up to 40 million BlackBerry users across the world, can reduce international call costs to as little as £0.03/$0.06 per minute.
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In 2004 the terms VoIP, internet phone service and IP phone were
foreign to almost everyone except technology professionals and
geeky computer types. Now most people I talk with are at least
slightly familiar with these terms, as the internet phone
service market is now starting to take off. Contrary to what
many people believe, VoIP is not a new technology. It was
introduced to the public in 1995, by a company called Vocaltec.
By using internet phone software, registered users could make
phone calls via their computer using a dialup internet
connection. I made my first internet phone call in 2000 using
my computer, a headset, a dialup internet connection and a free
account with Net2Phone. The sound quality was terrible, but it
was an absolutely fascinating experience to be making a free
long distance call over my computer. Now in 2005, ten years
after the first commercial use of VoIP, the technology is
finally ready for prime time!
Significant improvements have been made with VoIP in the past
five years, and communications companies have started investing
heavily in the technology. The quality and reliability of
service has improved so much within the past year or so that
VoIP is now suitable and reliable enough for everyday
residential and business use. In fact, so much attention is now
being given to the continued improvement of VoIP technology that
it’s well on it’s way to becoming the PREFERRED method of
communication by home users and businesses alike.
There were around 1.5 million internet phone users in the USA in
2004, and around 2.1 million today according to
Telecommunications Industry News. According to various
statistics I’ve seen, the number of VoIP users in the United
States is projected to be around 17 to 18 million between 2008
and 2010. This in an increase of over 1000% within the next 3
to 5 years! Experts also estimate that by 2007, 75% of long
distance calls worldwide will be made via the internet. The US
is currently not the biggest user of VoIP technology - there
are about 7 million users in Japan out of approximately 12
million worldwide today. The internet phone industry is
booming, and will continue to grow over the next decade. It
seems that everyone including EBay wants in on the exploding
VoIP market now, as evidenced by their purchase of VoIP provider
Skype in September 2005.
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An important communication tool that is now found in almost every home and business organization is the telephone. It provides a great deal of handiness in getting things achieved and organized. It is the belief of many a person that the telephone is one of the greatest gadgets ever invented. The telephone is a handy piece of equipment that will help a person stay in contact with near and dear ones at all times.
A much newer and equally powerful communication tool is the Internet. The internet has captivated the minds of millions of people by the things it can help one achieve. It is an important communication platform for people all over the world to stay in touch through means like email, chat and instant messaging. It is also useful in sending out and sharing information between one another.
The Internet has plenty of applications for which it is being constantly accessed everyday by millions of people. While some people use it for researching information about what they want to know, some use it for shopping for some products or a service. Yet others use it for other applications like gaming, downloading videos or listening to music, etc.
Communication is an important application of the internet.
Technological advances have made it possible to use the internet in many ways. An important application of the internet is communication. The advent of technology has affected the sector of communication too. A breakthrough in the field of communication is a new tool called Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP.
VoIP has created such a wave in the telecommunication sector that many people are just quitting using their traditional telephones and opting to use this new tool which is also know by the term internet voice. So, how has this new technology been able to captivate the minds of so many and made them give up the age-old telephone?
The basic utility of VoIP is the same as our regular telephone i.e. it helps in talking to another person located elsewhere. But, the difference is that VoIP makes use of the internet to send and get back data. The audio signals generated by your voice are converted to digital signals and transmitted to the other end where it is reconverted back to audio analog signals and heard by the receiving person. As the data is sent in digital format the quality of voice is not lost even if the person receiving is at the other end of the world.
As the VoIP system makes use of the internet to make and receive calls, the call rates are much lower in comparison to the regular telephone. With a conventional landline, making long distance calls can be very expensive and cannot be carried on for a long time without being a burden on your pocket. With VoIP, the call rates are much cheaper and affordable in comparison to the regular telephone. Some service providers of VoIP provide calling long distance totally free of cost for its subscribers.
Not only this, VoIP mode of communication comes loaded with some extra features that are generally not available on the regular telephone and if present, might be quite expensive. Some features available with VoIP include caller ID, call waiting, audio and video conferencing, return call, three-way calling, etc as part of its standard package. Depending on the service provider, most of the extra features are provided to the subscribers free of cost.
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Determining what is the best VoIP provider can prove to be more difficult than you may have imagined, especially as there are thousands of players to choose from. However, if you act wisely you will be able to find ways by which to spot those VoIP providers that are offering good deals and who will provide you with value for your money. At the very outset, you have to be clear in your mind about what services, prices and feature the VoIP provider must provide, and this is even more relevant when you plan to manually search for the best VoIP provider.
The foremost consideration with regard to identifying the best VoIP provider is of course how much they are going to charge you. You will certainly expect to get different kinds of features from the VoIP provider and this in turn will affect how much you will be charged. However, typical features such as making personal calls (local), international calls as well as communicating for business purposes must be offered at reasonable rates for a VoIP provider to be considered among the best VoIP providers.
Another important aspect to deciding whether a provider is indeed deserving of the title ‘best VoIP provider’ is the quality of voice that they provide. Different companies provide different voice qualities and so you will need to factor this when choosing the best VoIP provider.
Obviously, the reputation of a VoIP provider is also an important consideration that can settle the question whether a particular VoIP provider deserves to be considered as best VoIP provider or not. It is not however, necessary to go by the big name VoIP providers; but, you will need to ensure that the provider has been around for long enough to have earned a good reputation.
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Following the DOJ’s approval last week, the FCC has voted unanimously today to approve Verizon’s acquisition of Alltel, promising to create a CDMA network of insane proportions that’ll eclipse AT&T to become the US’ largest wireless carrier. Like their fellow feds over at the DOJ, the FCC guys attached some conditions to the approval, including a requirement that Verizon continue to honor Alltel’s existing roaming agreements for four years — presumably in an effort to protect and appease rural carriers who’ve been solidly against the merger all along. This’ll almost certainly lead to some job losses in the Alltel camp, but look on the bright side, guys: you just might have a crack at that wild LG VX9600 now.
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VoIP has gained popularity world over as an easy affordable way to communicate. And, Vonage alone has 1.6 million subscribers as of April 1, 2006. According to company sources they have tripled the number of subscriber lines since 2005. A leader in internet telephony, Vonage offers a great bouquet of services at low costfacility to call from anywhere in the world, call waiting and forwarding, area code selection, web and e-mail based voice mail, as well as an account management web site which customers can use to change features.
VoIp is advantageous is many ways, all you need is a computer with a reliable internet connection. Among the many companies offering VoIP , Vonage is an acknowledged leader as it is innovative and keeps abreast with technology.
Toying with the idea of changing from a landline to VoIP? Here are a few unbeatable reasons why Vonage should be your preferred choice:
1.The saving on your phone bill can be as much as 50% — for $24.99 a month you can avail of great services including call long distance for no extra cost. Comparison shopping reveals that AT&T will cost $69.95 a month and Bell South $ 58.94.
2.A Vonage connection will get you unlimited local and long distance calls.
3.At least 14 features like voice mail, caller ID with name, call waiting, call forwarding, 3-way calling, in-network calls, call transfer, click-2-call, call return, caller ID block, and repeat dialing.
4.You can access calls from anywherehome, office, car, airport, train and so on. Where you go your phone goes with you so you never miss an important call.
5.The latest offer includes free calls to Europe Italy, France, Spain, UK, and Ireland.
6.Vonage offers freedom from bill worries if family members stay all over the world. Now you can stay in touch with freedom of mind.
7.It is a complete system and offers great facilities to small businesses your office can communicate internally through phone and fax, conference call, and collate all mails and other document. Vonage functions like a mini call center and your business will benefit from an efficient phone system that costs next to nothing.
8.Vonage gives freedom of choice you can choose any area code even if you live in Atlanta you can choose a New York Code.
9.The dedicated fax line comes free with a Vonage connection.
10.Vonage is completeyou get low monthly bills, free in network calls, high quality rendition, 24/7 customer and technical support, low international calling costs, connectivity through PC as well as handheld devices,
Vonage is a leader of industry as it understands there are imperfections and constantly strives to overcome them in order to provide a premium customer friendly service.
Andrew Bermam is a freelance writer for http://www.1866voip.com
T-Mobile’s much anticipated G1 phone running on Google’s Android software went on sale today across the nation — except in the Washington region.
Here, you can walk into a T-Mobile retail store and play with a G1, the latest souped-up smart phone to hit the market. But you can’t take one home. That’s because Washington is one of the several markets around the country that don’t have T-Mobile’s 3G high-speed data network up and running yet.
So if they were to sell you the phone, it would work on its regular network but downloads of some Internet applications would … run …
something …
like …
this.
As of now, a Washington area resident can buy the G1 phone over the Web. And 3G will be deployed in the region on T-Mobile’s network by late November. The company expects its 3G network will be deployed in 120 cities by the end of the year.
But if you bought one outside the region and try it here today, it’ll take a little longer to download applications like Google Maps and Street Views, YouTube clips and other location based services such as local price comparison shopping.
So what’s the big deal about 3G? It’s faster and therefore provides a better experience for users, particularly with data-intensive Internet applications like video. AT&T announced today that 2.4 million subscribers bought new iPhones that run on its 3G network in the last quarter.
The reason why T-Mobile’s 3G network has been delayed can be blamed on an unlikely source: the Defense Department along with other federal government agencies.
The federal agencies occupied the valuable spectrum T-Mobile bought for more than $4 billion two years ago to build out its 3G network. Since T-Mobile bought the spectrum, the Bellevue, Wash.-based company has had to force local governments and the federal government off the spectrum, market by market.
“This is first time we had to move federal government systems from spectrum,” said Kathleen Ham, vice president of Federal regulatory affairs for T-Mobile. “They were not slow to move, but were surprised how fast we wanted to move.”
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Moving to VoIP (or digital) phone service means that you’ll save big on your landline phone bills by getting free long distance and reduced (or free) international calls. Instead of your phone conversations going through the telephone lines outside, VoIP calls primarily transverse through the Internet. In addition to having a high-speed Internet connection, you’ll need to make a small investment in a VoIP phone that plugs into your network or a VoIP adapter or router that connects the traditional phones and handsets to the network. However, many service providers even offer this VoIP-enabling equipment free or at a rebated price.
Most VoIP residential plans that come with unlimited talk time start at around $20 a month with all the usual features—for example, call waiting, caller ID, and voicemail. Small business plans range anywhere from $35 to $70 a month and may include advanced features such as auto attendant, conferencing, fax line, music-on-hold, extensions, and many more. VoIP providers you may want to consider include Phone Power, Vonage, Voip.com, Packet8, Lingo, and those offered by your local phone and cable companies.
Cheap phone service isn’t the only great benefit of VoIP. VoIP solutions can save businesses the money and time involved in installing traditional phone outlets when moving offices around, if Ethernet ports are available throughout the office. Instead of having to pay to have a phone outlet added or moved, just plug the VoIP phone into the Ethernet port in the new location. For locations that don’t have an abundance of Ethernet ports (family homes, for instance), many VoIP providers offer software or portable adapters so you can use your computer and a headset to use the phone service. Don’t have loads of Ethernet ports but do have plenty of phone jacks? Some VoIP solutions only require you to install one VoIP adapter. Then all the phone jacks in the building are converted into VoIP-enabled outlets, so you can plug in traditional phones.
It’s important to note that VoIP phones don’t always have to use the VoIP service via the Internet. Some VoIP phones allow you to switch between using traditional and VoIP phone service. With this arrangement, you can take advantage of the reliability of traditional phone lines for most calls, and the cost savings of VoIP service when making long distance or international calls. Some vendors refer to this type of phone as a dual-mode phone.
Because VoIP service is provided through the Internet, Wi-Fi phones and hybrid cellular/Wi-Fi phones can connect to the service through wireless Internet access at public hotspots, in your offices, or at your home. Mobile phones with built-in Wi-Fi can save you mobile minutes and possibly Internet access fees. You also have a better chance of using your mobile phone where cellular signals are lacking; most Wi-Fi mobile phones will automatically switch to using a Wi-Fi network when detected. Many of these phones also use the Wi-Fi connection for the Internet source, so you can surf the Web on your mobile phone at broadband speeds.
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The best argument for VOIP is lower communication costs … but it’s not the only reason.
I would suggest using a hybrid solution. Where the bulk of communication, voice, and video are done through VOIP …. and emergency services “fall back” in case of Internet fail is done with minimal classical PSTN solutions.
When I say VOIP from now on I mean 90 % VOIP and some minimal PSTN add-ons.
Why VOIP?
1- Lower communication costs ….
While this is basically clear it still needs to be demonstrated. Assume you have a company that most of its calls are from “overseas” to the USA and vice versa.
You need to get the cost of all such calls currently on one side …. and then compute what would be the cost in case all Intercontinental calls went through a VOIP system.
Now you have the number of calls * local call quantity* local call cost.
You can compare the costs in both situations.
a. I would take the worst case scenario where none of the calls in either side ends in a VOIP end station like Packet8. To make the comparison complete you should add all static costs as well: equipment cost, support cost etc.
b. Simply compare the price of adding a 2MBPS PRI line to increasing your company’s Internet connection BW by 2 MBPS. That will show a lot to VOIP’s favor.
c. Long distance calls are severely affected by duration of the call. While local calls and VOIP goes into the PSTN, are much less affected by the duration. In some places in state calls are not charged individually but a monthly payment is done.
d. Equipment cost per end station is lower. While this is almost always true you need to prove that too by talking to a VOIP equipment provider, for example AVAYA, Cisco, NORTEL. And comparing the prices in both instances.
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The greatest advantage VoIP provides and the reason why many people are opting for VoIP in their homes is the expense. It is definitely much cheaper to call over VoIP in comparison to a conventional telephone. Also, you get to enjoy additional benefits and facilities that are generally not provided with a regular telephone. Many people, especially the older generation hesitate to try out many new technological advances because they feel they cannot understand how to use some of the modern gadgets. But, this is not the case with VoIP as it is very similar to the regular telephone.
Earlier, VoIP was only available for business purposes but it is now available for residential purposes. The rate plans vary depending on the nature of usage. There are many service providers giving residential plans and you can search the internet to get more information on them. You will be asked to purchase a device called the Adaptor box (ATA) that will connect your internet connection with the telephone. Before you get into using VoIP, it is best to read up more about it and become familiar with some relevant information about the VoIP system. This makes it much simpler for you to use the system later.
With traditional phones, you need to pay for calls that will add up to your monthly bills but this is not the case if you are using a VoIP phone. With VoIP, you get to make calls that have great voice quality and very dependable without having to bear an additional charge.
While using a landline, there might be some added charges that skyrocket your monthly bills. Service providers of VoIP give the options of various packages that enable each and every user to opt for one that suits their needs. While some packages might include any number of local calls or overseas calls others provide features like 3-way calling, call forwarding, call waiting, caller ID, e911, voicemail, etc. Such features and facilities are generally not provided with a conventional telephone.
While looking for a package that suits you, you need to assess your requirements and the budget. Once you have analyzed this, you can look for the service provider that gives your requirements at the budget suited for you. You can take the help of contacts who are using VoIP already to get more information from them.
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