TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Re: The Pitfalls of VoIP

Re: The Pitfalls of VoIP

Tim@Backhome.org
Sat, 20 Nov 2004 16:51:48 -0800

Having used Vonage for 19 months I think the article is on target.

We still have one SBC wireline phone for local, residential use. It
is toll-blocked so we have to use Vonage or our cell phones for long
distance.

I do use the Vonage number for limited inbound calls for a part-time
work-at-home consulting service.

It will be a long time before I even consider dropping all convential
wireline service. Power failures are a way of life where I live.

Lisa Minter wrote:

> Jack Decker note: Lately the press has been spreading a lot of FUD
> (fear, uncertainty, doubt) about VoIP. I have heard that some phone
> companies have been known to spend more advertising dollars with
> publishers and broadcasters that run stories favorable to them, and
> negative toward any perceived competition. I'm not saying there's any
> such quid pro quo in the case of this specific story, just that the
> increase in negative stories about VoIP in the press has me wondering.

> http://www.komando.com/kolumns_show.asp?showID=8068

> The Pitfalls of VoIP

> by Kim Komando - 11/22/2004

> Using your computer and Internet connection to make local and long
> distance calls has been getting a lot of attention lately. People are
> enticed by the savings offered by Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
> and the ability to use a regular telephone. Before you jump on the
> bandwagon, consider the drawbacks.

> Most VoIP providers charge a monthly fee of $20 to $30 for unlimited
> local and long distance calling anywhere in the U.S., and sometimes
> Canada. You also receive a host of features that would normally cost
> extra, such as call forwarding, voice mail, caller ID and call
> waiting.

> There are enhanced features, too. Many providers will forward your
> voice mail to an e-mail account. There is a super version of
> call-forwarding that forwards calls to five or so different phones. It
> will ring them one at a time or all five simultaneously.

> Although VoIP is still in its infancy, there are a number of companies
> providing service, such as AT&T,
> (http://www.usa.att.com/callvantage/index.jsp), Packet8
> (http://www.packet8.net/), VoicePulse (http://www.voicepulse.com/) and
> Vonage (http://www.vonage.com/). The quality is better than a cell
> phone and often matches traditional phone service. But there is a
> potential for dropouts similar to a cell phone.

> http://www.komando.com/kolumns_show.asp?showID=8068

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