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Service Provider
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Things to Consider When Selecting a VoIP Phone Provider
The following are very important factors to consider when you are selecting a VoIP/Broadband phone provider. Educate yourself and be informed before you choose.
Monthly costs: A VoIP provider can save you up to 75% or more on your telephone/long distance expenses. There are many VoIP providers out there so it will benefit you from shopping around. Unlimited flat rate calling packages can range from $19.95/month to as high as $54.95/month (per line). Usually the lower priced providers have more customers and are able to offer the service at a lower price due to a lower overhead per subscriber.
VoIP Product Features: Not all VoIP providers are created equal. VoIP offers a great value to the consumers because of the drastically reduced long distance costs as well as inexpensive local phone service with lots of enhanced features. Some providers offer more features than others. Features like Call Waiting, 3 Way Calling, etc. are usually included in the VoIP monthly cost where as the traditional phone companies will charge up to and above $5/month per feature. When shopping for a VoIP provider, be sure to compare VoIP providers by features as well as by monthly price.
Keeping Your Number: Some providers allow you to transfer (port) your current phone number to the VoIP service and some providers do not. It is not recommended to switch your home number to the VoIP service immediately. It is recommended that you try out the service and see if you are satisfied before you request that your current number be switched. Keep in mind that if you have DSL service, you must retain a phone number with the service provider of the DSL because the DSL service is provided over that telephone line. If you want to get rid of your current phone company all together, then we suggest you use a Cable Internet Service Provider.
911 Service: Most of the VoIP carriers offer E911 service, but not all. Be sure to check if the VoIP provider offers E911 because it is not a given. If the VoIP provider does not offer E911, then we suggest that you either have a cell phone or traditional landline to use in case of an emergency. (Note: It is also important to point out that if you take your VoIP phone when traveling, E911 has no way of knowing where you are when you call 911 if you are away from the registered address.)
International Calling: If you make a lot of international calls, you will want to do a lot of research on International Rates as they vary by provider. There are a few carriers that offer unlimited calling to certain countries.
Money Back Guarantee: Since VoIP is a relatively new product; most all VoIP providers will offer a free money back guarantee. Be sure to check with each provider as we have seen the money back guarantees range from a 14-day to a 30-day money back guarantee. (Note: Be sure to keep the original packaging that your equipment came in just in case you need to send it back)
This is only a short list. In fact, there are many things to consider when choosing a VoIP provider. An educated consumer generally results in a satisfied consumer. Hopefully, the above list is somewhat helpful......and at least gives you a foundation to start your search from.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications http://BillZilla.com/mscprez and http://DS3-Bandwidth.com delivering choices to both residential and business consumers for voice and data broadband services. Michael also authors BroadBand Nation http://BroadBand-Nation.blogspot.com where you're always welcome to to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, and ramblings for the masses.
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VoIP Service Provider A vs. VoIP Service Provider B
Copyright 2005 Gobala Krishnan
While doing research on the Internet, I realized that most people are absolutely confused when it comes to selecting a VoIP or broadband phone service provider. I can't say I blame them either, when you consider that there are now thousands of companies out there with as many different service plans.
What I often come across though, is the question "Is company A better than company B?". To be honest I have no idea how to answer that question. All I can offer is a simple guideline that can help you discover the answer for yourself. Here it is.
1) Where is the company located?
Does the location of the company matter? Perhaps not, if the service provider is located in the same country as you are. However, if you have been offered VoIP or broadband phone services offered by foreign companies, it probably WILL matter.
The danger in subscribing to companies that don't have a presence in your country, legalities aside, is the quality of the service. Imagine making a call from Malaysia to your friend in Singapore. Now imagine your call being routed all the way to the US or Australia before it is routed back to Singapore to complete the call. Physically, this takes less than a second, but the consequences are sometimes obvious.
More often than not, you get a delay in your call. If you understand communication, you'll understand than even a one second delay before hearing a YES or OK can make all the difference in your sales talk or discussion. The solution?
Make sure your VoIP service provider has at least a few gateways located in your region, and most importantly, your country. This would reduce the distance the call is carried and usually result in better call quality.
2) Are the call plans unique?
All VoIP service providers out there suffer from the same symptom - the need to differentiate themselves. That's the reason why you get 100 different plans from 10 different companies. Understand, though, that they are all basically the same thing.
So if water is water, how do you choose when you flip open the refrigerator door in that 7-11 store? Is it the color of the bottle or the price?
The same question can be asked when choosing a VoIP plan. Choose what appeals to you, but don't get carried away by all the "Unlimited calls" talk. Understand that any VoIP provider worth their salt can offer you unlimited calls from one ATA (analog telephone adapter) to another ATA that they own, for free. However, consider this - how many people you know are using an ATA from the same company you are?
Making unlimited calls to regular phones, though, is an entirely different ball game. Not everyone can offer you this. Vonage for example, can offer you unlimited calls in their business package, to US only. For unlimited calling to Asian countries, the only company I know of that can do this is TelExtreme. Here's a complete "VoIP A vs. VoIP B" type of comparison chart if you really need it: http://www.mybusinessvoip.com/compare
3) Quality - who owns the technology?
I am not an advocate of buying from the company that everyone is buying from. You know, companies like Vonage and AT&T CallVantage. I'm not an advocate of "following the crowd", but in some cases, the crowd may have a point.
Most of the smaller VoIP providers don't own the technology. Why should they, when they can get the whole deal at wholesale, and all they need to do is put their brand on it? This works for the short term. For the long term, however, such companies have no way of ensuring the stability or quality of their service.
Bottom line - find out if the VoIP service provider owns any, or all, of the technology behind the service they provide. A "cut and paste" company comprising of different ATA manufacturers, different call routers and different gateway providers may not survive in a few years when the VoIP industry matures. You can count on that!
4) What’s in store for the future?
In plain words, why spend on a VoIP provider that is limited to just making calls, especially when many of them already have video and data applications in the works? Packet8 already has their own video & voice over IP plan, and many others will follow suit. “Triple Play” as it is called, will soon be available, so make sure that your VoIP service provider has this in store for you. More importantly, it should be available at little or no extra cost.
About the author:
Gobala Krishnan is a small business entrepreneur and publisher of the "VoIP and Me" newsletter, designed for smart entrepreneurs who want to avoid all the technical jargon and get straight to the information that really matters. Learn how you can drastically cut communication costs by 70%, get more customers and expand to new markets using VoIP at http://www.MyBusinessVoIP.com
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