Some VoIP Providers

Some VoIP Providers

More and more people are coming to the idea that VoIP is the best telecommunications solution for them, in terms of cost and convenience. This has stimulated the appearance of many different VoIP service providers, each of them with a variety of plans aiming to make you their customer. Obviously, that should work to your advantage, since you have a wide selection available.

There are drawbacks as well, such as unreliable or unsupported 911 access. These are common to all suppliers, which is why they will all ask you to sign a statement confirming that you are aware of the unavailability of the 911 service. You shouldn’t be alarmed at the sight of the waiver, or think that you were unlucky enough to choose a supplier that offers you less than others. This is a problem of technological incompatibility and there’s no complete solution for it yet (though some providers do offer a partial solution, namely the possibility of registering your VoIP phone number with 911; this works as long as you are calling 911 from home, but if you take your phone with you on a trip, the service will still be unavailable).

This article is going to familiarize you with various VoIP providers, to help you in choosing one that best suits your communications needs.

One such provider is Broadvox, offering services to residential users as well as to small businesses. There are two plans available for home users: Residential Choice Plus, which costs $9.95 per month and includes 100 minutes of outbound calls and unrestricted inbound calls, and Residential Unlimited, which costs $29.95 and allows unlimited outbound calls to the U.S. and Canada. For small businesses, there’s the SoHo Small Business Regional plan, available for $34.95, which covers 1500 calling minutes to the U.S. and Canada. There’s also a Small Business Unlimited plan which costs $44.95 and gives you unlimited calling to these two countries, plus a free fax line and Yellow Pages listing. Among the features integrated in the Broadvox service, we can mention an online account, caller ID, call block, conference calling, call waiting, call forwarding and transfer, voicemail, call logs, customizable contact management, and others.

Galaxy Voice also caters to both the residential and business categories of customers. Their plan for home users offers unlimited calling for a monthly fee of $19.95, plus such amenities as voicemail, caller ID, 3-way calling, call waiting, call forwarding, etc. The business plan has a monthly fee of $39.95 per month and offers unlimited calling, along with integrated features such as voicemail, call transfer and forwarding, repeat dialling, and call block, all free of extra charges. If you have a phone number from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, or Rhode Island, you can benefit from their free Broadband Phone service.

Packet 8 comes with two plans for residential subscribers: Freedom International and Freedom Unlimited (which also has a Videophone version), both available at a monthly fee of 19,99. Businesses have three different plans to choose from: Virtual Office ($19.95 per month), Virtual Attendant ($14.95 per month), and Business Attendant ($34.95 per month). Features offered by Packet 8 include unlimited calling minutes, local number porting, the ability to personalize your voicemail, etc

Vonage is among the best known VoIP providers. You’ll have the possibility to keep your current phone number or choose a different area code (not only from the U.S., but from other countries as well). Since they are so well known, they can afford to be a bit more expensive than the rest. The residential plans come in two versions – Basic 500 (500 minutes of talking for free, at a monthly rate of $14.99) and Premium Unlimited (unlimited talking time at a monthly fee of $24.99). Small businesses also have a choice between a Basic plan ($39.99 per month, with 1500 minutes included) and an Unlimited plan ($49.99 per month, with unlimited calls to the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico).

Another provider that deserves to be taken into consideration is VoIP American, with three main plans: PBX ($19.99 per month for a private line and $44.99 per month with unlimited calling minutes), Voice (either Basic, for $14.99 per month, or Unlimited, at $29.99 per month), and bVoice ($34.99 per month, targeting businesses). Among the free features offered by VoIP American, we can mention phone number transfer, 3-way calling, call waiting, voicemail (including delivery of the voicemail to your e-mail address), call forwarding, personal toll-free numbers, and free choice as to your area code.

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