With the introduction of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, a huge market base has been formed. Now more and more people are switching from their traditional PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) to VoIP. The prime reason of this market drive is due the cheaper rates offered by VoIP. The fact is that the basic monthly fee of VoIP is much lower than PSTN, in addition to the offered free services like call display and call forwarding which is often charged extra by traditional telephone companies.

Installing the VoIP is very easy. An ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter) is supplied by the VoIP service provider on signing up for the services. ATA is required to use VoIP with the old analog telephones. Other optional equipments like routers and IP phones are available on a monthly fee charge basis by the service provider. The basic devices required for VoIP service is a broadband modem, which can be either used for cable or DSL, a router, and an IP phone. The number of devices can be reduced by using the units that can combine a modem and router. Although a computer is not mandatory for VoIP, using it can make accessing the VoIP account more comfortable. After arranging for all these devices the service can be accessed by simply plugging the router into the modem and the IP phone into the router without any external service aid for equipment installation.

Hence, this lower cost offer with additional features and ease of installation lure innumerable traditional telephone service users to enroll for the VoIP service. Although, most of the hype about this technology is true, before switching over, a few facts should be considered.

The biggest problem that can be faced on switching to VoIP is that the old telephone number cannot be retained. If the user is comfortable with changing his number, this is no problem. In fact, few VoIP service providers offer the local phone numbers as per the residential area. In this case there is a possibility of holding over the old phone number. But, this needs to be verified with both the present telephone company and the VoIP service provider before installing the new service.

The second issue is about the 911 or emergency dial service. Although some VoIP service providers provide the option of address registration to route the call to the correct emergency call center based on caller location, after it connects, it is impossible to track the caller’s exact address, if he is unable to speak. The solution to this problem is to keep the existing phone line or a cell phone for emergency 911 calls at least until the VoIP system gets robust enough to handle this situation. A back up line of another phone service is also recommended to avoid trouble in case of power outages as the VoIP service runs on electricity. However, it can normally carry on working on the external battery’s back up for a while during blackouts. For areas with serious electricity shortage and frequent prolonged blackouts it is recommended to keep a traditional phone line or a cell phone to stay connected.

With scores of people switching their phone systems to VoIP, there is no dearth of service providers. Although most of them are pretty much the same regarding the basic services offered like call forwarding, call waiting and call display in their standard monthly fee, the major difference lies in the long-distance or overseas call rates. The service provider should be chosen based on one’s calling needs and budget constraints. Many VoIP service providers offer the facility of additional phone numbers in various locations like the option of keeping local phone numbers in several different cities. This option can facilitate the callers in those cities to call at the rate of a local call. This option is very helpful in case the calls are received from a certain geographic location.

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