VoIP phone service: Changing communication for the better

VoIP phone service: Changing communication for the better.

by Kristen Kiya

Internet has become a part and parcel of the contemporary world. Moreover, new and innovative means of using the Internet are being devised each day. The latest development in this sphere is the merger of telephone services with Internet services. VoIP phone service is very much a reality that has revolutionized voice communications in recent times irrevocably and for the better.

In VoIP phone service, users are able to make telephone calls using their broadband Internet connections. In many parts of the world, local telephone services are being replaced by VoIP services and the customers and the end users are not complaining. In fact, they are finding themselves in an advantageous position, wherein they are able to make long distance calls to other regions of the globe without having to pay through their noses for the same. The market that was the stronghold of traditional carriers is slowly but surely opening up to the reality that is voice over IP.

As of now, the VoIP service sector is a witness to a lot of activity. The market conditions are buoyant and volatile a fact that is forcing the VoIP phone service providers to cut down on the costs of the services. Customers and end users are the ultimate beneficiaries. They have a lot of flexibility in selecting the providers and carriers of their choice depending on specific situations. In simple terms, this means that an end user can now make long distance calls at affordable costs using this IP service.

This amazing feat was not achieved in a single day. It took a number of years and lot of developmental efforts in different areas to bring VoIP to where it is currently positioned today. It all started with computer users connecting with each other through their computers. However, even then, certain conditions had to be met to ensure feasibility. The users wanting to benefit from this pc-to-pc connectivity needed a stable Internet connection, a computer that was enabled for voice applications, and a special software program developed for the purpose.

In these systems, users could do away with their traditional phones and connect easily with friends, family members and colleagues, without having to pay exorbitant sums of money on the same. However, the drawbacks of using these phone services were also quite obvious. One had to be in front of a computer that was properly configured and enabled for this purpose. There was also the factor of stability in the use of dial-up connections for this purpose. In addition, the people that one wanted to communicate with had to be in front of their computers at the other hand for the proper functioning of these systems.

But that was a couple of years ago. The VoIP phone services that are in vogue today are compatible with broadband Internet connections. Apart from being very fast, these connections are more stable than the dial-up variant. Moreover, a user of VoIP services can now use a traditional telephone to make calls that are routed through the Internet.

Consumers and end users today are faced with a dilemma of choice. They have a lot of options in terms of the service providers that they want to subscribe to and the wireless VoIP phone services that they want to enjoy. Almost anybody and everybody can now make the switch from traditional phone services to VoIP services, without having to go through too much trouble.

With advantages such as cost efficiency, flexibility, reliability and stability, the popularity of VoIP Internet phone services is on the increase. The nature of these services is such that they come bundled with other equally amazing offers such as unlimited calls to certain numbers in particular geographic locales. Other services that often come bundled with a VoIP service include voicemail, call forwarding, caller ID, 3 way calling, etc., which also enhances their popularity quite significantly.