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Save with Internet-based VoIP
Bundled Cable/Satellite, Phone, Internet
Virtual Calling Cards
New Cell Phone Plans
About VoIP Home Phone Service
Home Phones – Bundled or VoIP
Internet-Based Phones Cheaper than Traditional Landline Service
Home phone service options now are very different from what they were a only few years ago. We remember in 2002 signing up with Verizon and paying $45 a month, PLUS in-state and out state long distance!
Home Phone Service at $25 a Month, Not $45+
Forty five dollars a month is outrageously expensive compared to today’s flat rate VoIP plans for around $20 a month that include nationwide calling and sometimes even international calling to several countries.
If you’re still paying Verizon, Quest, AT&T or another traditional local phone company over $40 a month plus long distance than you might want to learn more about VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) options that turn your internet connection into a phone line.
Click here to compare VoIP phone service plans and rates
Click here to learn more about VoIP and how it works
Shop Bundled TV, Internet and Phone Options for Your Address
Did you recently move and want to compare choices for cable, satellite and phone and internet service in your area? We have a tool that lists all the available cable and satellites providers based on your address and it includes current promotions and plan details.
Click here to review cable or satellite TV, internet and phone plans based on address
Make International Calls from Home, Work or Cell Phone
Do you need a way to call internationally from work or your cell phone? And of course you’d like the best rate to the countries you call the most. Dial around, stand-alone or virtual calling cards are not tied to any single phone and there is no need to change your long distance provider.
These services give you a toll free access number and personal PIN that let you call any country and have it billed to your account, not the phone you’re dialing from. And the rates are great too. Some of these cards can even be used to call from another country outside the United States back to the U.S. or to any other phone in the world.
Use our one-stop rate comparison tool to compare rates from multiple calling card companies and find the lowest rate for the country you call most.
Click here for to review international calling rates from several providers at once
What is VoIP and How Does it Provide Home Phone Service?
VoIP works like a regular phone, but uses the internet as its phone line.
Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, refers to telephone service that operates over a high speed internet connection rather than the copper phone lines that have traditionally provided home telephone service. There are many VoIP service providers, the most well-known of which is probably Vonage. Cable and satellite companies also now provide “digital” phone service which also uses VoIP technology. Digital phones and VoIP phones are synonymous. They both use the digital internet to convey voice communications.
Although VoIP may sound high tech, it is simple to set up and use. The service provider you select (your new phone company) will send a modem into which you connect your internet cable and a regular telephone. It works with a regular standard telephone, and making receiving calls is the same with VoIP as with any phone.
VoIP Offers Many Features, Nationwide Calling for Less
The biggest advantage to VoIP is the low cost. Typically VoIP phone service, or digital phone service from a cable or satellite provider, comes bundled with popular phone service features such as caller I.D., call waiting, voice mail and call forwarding. Almost all VoIP providers also charge one low flat rate for calls anywhere in the country, and in some cases unlimited calls to a selection of foreign countries.
If you have high speed internet service from a cable company or satellite provider and are still paying over $40 a month plus long distance to one of the old “baby Bells” for your home phone service it is a very good idea to compare the VoIP companies and plans below.
Click here to compare rates and plans from several VoIP companies
Out of State and International Phone Numbers Available
Many VoIP companies allow customers to choose a phone number from any city or state, and sometimes even from a selection of countries. Popular countries often include Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, El Salvador, Guatemala, Israel, Spain and more. With many of the VoIP companies listed here it is possible to a have a local U.S. number and a foreign phone number that both ring to one phone in your house. This means that friends and relatives in another country can call a local number (to them) to reach you! They will not have to pay international long distance to call you in the States. Please see below for countries, rates and details of the companies that offer this service.
Internet Outages, 911 Emergency Calls and VoIP Phones
Because VoIP uses the internet to connect calls, if your internet service goes down a VoIP phone won’t work. Although a cell phone or other phone will be needed for outgoing calls, almost all VoIP companies allow you to put a secondary number on file to which calls will be forwarded when the VoIP phone is unavailable.
VoIP providers and 911 emergency call centers already offer or are in the process of upgrading to E911 capabilities for emergency calls. E911 automatically transmits name, address and phone number information to the 911 operator during an emergency call. If E911 technology is not in place, it’s possible that the 911 operator might not automatically know the caller’s address if the caller is unable to speak. Address information provided the 911 operator will be what is on file with the VoIP company, therefore it is important to keep up to date address information on file with the VoIP service provider.
As new technology is adopted these situations are becoming increasingly rare and because most people now also have cell phones, few people should be completely without phone service or full 911 access.
Keep Current Phone Number
It is almost always possible to retain your current home phone number when obtaining new VoIP service or transferring between VoIP phone companies. At times it may take a few days or a week or more for the previous phone number to transfer. In the meantime you’ll be given a new phone number to give you immediate phone service while waiting for the previous number to be connected to the new account.
Does VoIP Work with DSL?
Yes, VoIP will work using a DSL internet connection. VoIP over a DSL line will work best if the upstream and downstream speeds are 64 kb/s or faster. Click here to test if your internet connection will work with VoIP.
Section Links:
See VoIP Options from Vonage, Ooma and Magic Jack, more
Shop Bundled Satellite/Cable, Phone and Internet Services
Compare New Cell Phone Plans and Rates
Review International Calling Card Rates
