How to choose wisely a VoIP provider - Part 1

If you simply want to communicate with friends and family over the Internet, one of the free services may be sufficient. However, if you're looking for a real alternative to your existing PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) phone service, you should consider signing up with a VoIP service provider that offers package deals based on their monthly fee.

The problem is, there are many to choose from. How can you know which one will provide the best service for your money? In order to answer this question, you must decide which kind of services are necessary for you, and whether or not you want to give up your existing PSTN service completely.

Most VoIP providers offer a package deal which includes free calls to a certain geographical area. Almost every VoIP provider will offer free services such as call waiting, call display and conference calls. So if most voice over ip providers offer the same basic package for a similar monthly fee, are there any differences?

The answer is -- Yes. There is a lot of competition between VoIP companies, and each company strives to provide services which set it apart from the others. When choosing a VoIP phone service, you will have to wade through the many packages available to see what is most appropriate for you.

For example, if you make a lot of overseas calls you want a package that includes these calls in the basic monthly fee. If you receive most of your calls from a certain geographic area or city, try to find a service provider that offers a PSTN phone number in that location. This will allow people to call you at local rates.

For example, if you live in Florida, but you have a lot of friends and relatives who live in England, try to find a VoIP service provider that will give you an alternate number based in London. That way, people can dial your London phone number and reach you in Florida at the same cost as a local call.

Service and reliability is another important factor when choosing a VoIP provider. This is much harder to determine independently. You can get this information from reading reviews on the Internet or talking with friends and associates about which VoIP providers they are using. If you hear a lot of negative comments or see a lot of negative reviews, that's a warning sign, but keep in mind that not everybody will be satisfied all the time, so weigh the good reviews with the bad. Try to find a VoIP company that offers a money back guarantee -- that way if you are dissatisfied with the service you will not be out any money.

In part 2 of choosing the right VoIP phone service you can read about some other factors to consider when choosing a VoIP service provider

© Copyright 2005-2008 by abc-of-voip.com. All rights reserved.