Internet Phone Service Brings The World Together
By Matt Hoppes

Have you ever wished you could do away with those huge phone bills, or maybe just save a little bit on your current phone bill? Now, thanks to the Internet, you can! Internet telephony or “Voice over IP” is a technology that is taking-over like wildfire. Voice over IP (VoIP) is just a fancy way of saying that your voice is being sent over your broadband Internet connection.

There are many providers of VoIP such as ChiliTech, Vonage, and Packet8. Each provider has their own special feature set, but over all, most VoIP providers offer Enhanced Voicemail, Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, *69 Call Return, and Busy Call Back.

When you signup for VoIP, the provider usually will send you a piece of hardware called an analog telephone adapter. This device will have two jacks, one for your phone or phones and one for your broadband Internet connection. It is very easy to setup and doesn’t require the neighborhood geek to help you! In fact, you can probably have it up and running in fewer than ten minutes.

After the device is hooked up, you can pick up your phone and begin making calls just as if you had a regular phone line. Because you are routing your long distance calls out over the Internet, your long distance bill will be reduced or even eliminated! Most providers offer a limited plan (usually around 500 minutes with additional minutes costing some low rate), and an unlimited plan.

Because VoIP does not depend on a local telephone company, you can get a phone number from many different locations; you are not necessarily locked down to only having a number where you live. For instance, if you lived in Bloomsburg, you could get a Bloomsburg number and also a Williamsport number so your friends and family in Williamsport could call you toll free.

Many of the providers, such as Packet8 and Vonage, do not provide local numbers to their customers in some of the smaller areas such as Berwick and Williamsport. ChiliTech now offers VoIP telephone service to much of the 570 area code.

Now before you say to yourself, “Wow! This VoIP is the best thing since sliced bread!” There are some important things to consider when choosing a VoIP provider. For instance, does the provider offer Enhanced 911 (E911), a service that sends your address and phone number to the 911 center when you call, or do they only offer 911, which may send your phone number only? It is also important to remember that it is your responsibility to keep your address information updated in the provider’s account center if you move your device or travel with it. Another very important thing to keep in mind when considering a switch to VoIP is that if your power is out and you don’t have any type of backup power, or your broadband connection goes out your phone service including 911 will not function.

Overall VoIP is a great technology that has the ability to change the way people communicate, and save lots of money. As with all things, a little bit of research and understanding will help you avoid some of the potential difficultly one may have with the technology.