I was on a technical support call with a customer in Australia for over 45 minutes. Guess how much that cost me. If I told you less than a dollar, would you believe it? Well, it’s actually true.
I called my friend in England the other day. We talked for half an hour and it didn’t cost either of us a penny. Free and crystal clear, I used my computer. Nothing special, just a simple sound card, speakers and microphone is all I need.
If you haven’t heard of Voice over IP yet, you definitely will soon. There are several different methods for the crazed digital phone protocol that could change the way you make calls and save you a lot of money.
What is VoIP?
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is the concept to manage the delivery of voice information in digital format over the Internet instead of conventional voice phone lines. In the simplest form, VoIP turns any computer into a telephone.
Although there are complex and expensive ways to do this on a business level, there are also simple and almost free ways to use VoIP on a personal level. All that is required is a broadband Internet connection of some kind. Now I’m not here to advertise a single organization that sells VoIP equipment or services, but just to let you know that there are some that offer very nice bargain packages with equipment, Internet phones, headsets, and all the fixings of standard business phone systems. . There are also software-based systems that work like everyday chat systems and only require computer speakers and a microphone.
Why would I want this?
One of the main advantages of VoIP telephony and the Internet is that it avoids the tolls charged for ordinary telephone services that use the standard public switched telephone network. Of course, Pac Bell and ATT don’t like how that sounds, unless they figure out how to jump on the bandwagon and take advantage of some new technology in this way.
In reality, VoIP has been around for a while, however it is starting to pick up speed now as an alternative means of communication. And the main reason is that it will save you money.
Another money-saving fact about VoIP is that since VoIP uses your broadband Internet connection for delivery, customers pay no federal USF and FCC line charges and pay lower federal excise taxes.
WI-FI and VoIP
Now we are getting serious! Where is this going? Can it really compete with the cell phone? Well, right now wireless has some security risks and setup difficulties to overcome before it becomes a major player in the game. But at the local, business level, we are not far away.
What is the end result?
If you are tired of high phone bills, maybe there is a solution for you to help you with this year’s budget. You don’t need to transform your entire phone system to use the benefits of VoIP. Start small and learn your potential.
A rule for the road:
Stay up-to-date with technology or else technology will pass you by; and ignorance will cost you more than you think.