Switch your landline to make cheaper landline calls, but have you considered a VoIP landline?

In an age where its easy to go online and compare telephony providers with just a click of a mouse button, more savvy consumers are switching from their traditional suppliers to cheaper alternatives. For customers looking for a second phone line but without all the added charges, options have been, until recently, limited.

But those limited options have just got much wider, thanks to the modern revolution in telephony services - VoIP. VoIP (or Voice over Internet Protocol) is the next generation in home phone services - and thanks to a computer literate society is taking off in a big way.

VoIP utilises your home broadband connection to send ‘packets' of data to the receiver, where it is reorganised back into an audio file. The technology isn't new - VoIP has been around for over 15 years but early versions, which were exclusively PC-to-PC based, suffered from poor sound quality and often decidedly dodgy connections.

However, modern VoIP is a world away from those early days, and now any home with a broadband connection can incorporate VoIP as a ‘piggyback' service. And it could save you a lot of money, particularly if you make calls overseas on a regular basis.

VoIP - how it works

As long as you have access to a broadband connection, a VoIP adapter and a regular handset, you can switch to VoIP. Because VoIP does not depend on a traditional phone line system, if you decide to move home (even abroad), you can keep the same number because VoIP is a portable system. If you have a broadband and a landline package from a cable supplier, switching to VoIP could save you money straight away. As VoIP uses your broadband connection, you will no longer need a landline connection, so that you could cancel part of your package without losing your home telephone service. If you have ASDL broadband, then the two services are tied together. But it could still save you money, again particularly if you regularly call overseas.

By choosing a VoIP user package that guarantees you cheaper calls to your selected areas, you could reserve use of your regular landline service for cheap local calls and only make international calls on your VoIP set-up. If you were intending to pay for a second phone line, this could be a much cheaper option, allowing you to make international calls and even calls to mobile phones for a fraction of the cost.

VoIP - the new kid on the block

In 2008, Ofcom released a report suggesting that over 73% of consumers had never considered switching their landline supplier. Now, thanks to the explosion of comparison sites and a higher public profile for VoIP, that is starting to change. In a period of financial uncertainty, home utilities bills are coming under much closer scrutiny as people try to cut costs and save money on their household expenses. That shouldn't mean losing touch with loved ones overseas because you're worried about the cost of phone calls.

By switching to VoIP for your home phone service, you can stay in touch with friends and family and not have to worry about huge bills at the end of every month. It's quick, it's simple to do, and with VoIP providers offering more flexible and bespoke packages, it's easy to find a package that suits you. The age of the monolithic telephony companies dominating the communications landscape is over. VoIP is the new kid on the block, and that new kid has a lot to offer those looking to cut the costs of their phone bills.

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Costas Kariolis - Senior Director Online of Vonage UK. Vonage are leading VoIP (Voice over IP) providers for home & small business users. Offering unlimited and cheap calls to India and many other country landlines via an internet phone service for a set monthly fee.

For interviews, quotes, images or comments contact:
Costas Kariolis
Senior Director Online - UK & Canada
E-mail: theteam@vonage.com