I would like to post some information about one of my sponsors … But first, being that this sponsor is in the VoIP business, let me first define what VoIP is and what it’s all about.
Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is the general term used for modern technology allowing voice calls to be placed via a broadband Internet connection (sometimes called IP telephony, Internet telephony, voice over broadband – VoBB, broadband telephony or broadband phone). The VoIP systems are usually connected with and combined to the classic switched analog telephone networks which make it possible to place calls to all parts of the world.
I could go into the nitty gritty about how this all works, but that is not the purpose of this post. My goal is to simply draw your attention to the terminology used and to help give my readers a better understanding of what it is all about.
The commercial development began in 2004, introducing mass-market providers allowing a variety of services to both commercial and domestic users. In those countries where the VoIP technology is particularly well developed, like the USA, Canada, UK, most of Europe and much of Asia, so-called flat rates are offered to users to allow for an unlimited length and frequency of calls, usually within the respective country.
The variety of features within the providers’ service plan varies considerably however. Some may only allow free calls to be placed to other subscribers of the same service or free calls to all landline numbers within the country, or may include free calls to one or more out-of-country destinations – and yet others might include one or more of the cooperating (or own) mobile phone networks.
In any case, VoIP telephony generally requires either a computer or a special VoIP phone or a combination of both, usually connected to an adapter or router of some kind. Placing free calls via computer usually requires the downloading of some kind of software to enable calls via headphones and microphone. With the use of a router, the conventional telephones are simply connected directly to the router and the router is then connected to the incoming phone line. Typically, more than one phone can be connected to the router at the same time, but this may vary from router to router and the service providers in the respective countries. At the end of this post, I will list out the more widely known providers as well as some of the more unknown ones. Of course, I would be more than happy to include any of your suggestions into the list.
There are some disadvantages to using VoIP services however. Some do not work during power outages being that they are generally connected to a computer and / or router through its own power supply (Conventional telephones have their own power source through the telephone jack). Most importantly, most VoIP providers cannot connect calls to emergency or certain service numbers. Another major disadvantage is caused through the inherently unreliable IP network. Due to the ever-increasing amount of data congestion in any given bandwidth network, the conversation can become broken up into incoherent snippets, disrupted by heavy static or in severe cases, even become completely disconnected.
All in all however, free and unlimited calls via VoIP are becoming increasingly safer and reliable with the advancement and improvement of its technology. The ever-increasing demand for better service and the growing availability of these services will become progressively interesting for commercial and domestic users alike.
Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is the general term used for modern technology allowing voice calls to be placed via a broadband Internet connection (sometimes called IP telephony, Internet telephony, voice over broadband – VoBB, broadband telephony or broadband phone). The VoIP systems are usually connected with and combined to the classic switched analog telephone networks which make it possible to place calls to all parts of the world.
I could go into the nitty gritty about how this all works, but that is not the purpose of this post. My goal is to simply draw your attention to the terminology used and to help give my readers a better understanding of what it is all about.
The commercial development began in 2004, introducing mass-market providers allowing a variety of services to both commercial and domestic users. In those countries where the VoIP technology is particularly well developed, like the USA, Canada, UK, most of Europe and much of Asia, so-called flat rates are offered to users to allow for an unlimited length and frequency of calls, usually within the respective country.
The variety of features within the providers’ service plan varies considerably however. Some may only allow free calls to be placed to other subscribers of the same service or free calls to all landline numbers within the country, or may include free calls to one or more out-of-country destinations – and yet others might include one or more of the cooperating (or own) mobile phone networks.
In any case, VoIP telephony generally requires either a computer or a special VoIP phone or a combination of both, usually connected to an adapter or router of some kind. Placing free calls via computer usually requires the downloading of some kind of software to enable calls via headphones and microphone. With the use of a router, the conventional telephones are simply connected directly to the router and the router is then connected to the incoming phone line. Typically, more than one phone can be connected to the router at the same time, but this may vary from router to router and the service providers in the respective countries. At the end of this post, I will list out the more widely known providers as well as some of the more unknown ones. Of course, I would be more than happy to include any of your suggestions into the list.
There are some disadvantages to using VoIP services however. Some do not work during power outages being that they are generally connected to a computer and / or router through its own power supply (Conventional telephones have their own power source through the telephone jack). Most importantly, most VoIP providers cannot connect calls to emergency or certain service numbers. Another major disadvantage is caused through the inherently unreliable IP network. Due to the ever-increasing amount of data congestion in any given bandwidth network, the conversation can become broken up into incoherent snippets, disrupted by heavy static or in severe cases, even become completely disconnected.
All in all however, free and unlimited calls via VoIP are becoming increasingly safer and reliable with the advancement and improvement of its technology. The ever-increasing demand for better service and the growing availability of these services will become progressively interesting for commercial and domestic users alike.
| Provider | Operating countries |
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| Worldwide, geographically limited | |
| Worldwide, geographically limited | |
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| Worldwide, but inbound calls only in | |
| US, | |
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| US, | |
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