By: Scott Sowle
VoIP has slowly made its way into the US mainstream. Currently more than 50% of Americans have or know about VoIP services (Most just know about it.). This is surprising, when only about 17% currently have broadband high speed internet. Some of those who have heard of VoIP did so from a high dollar marketing plan by one of the VoIP providers.
Why haven't many people switched from their traditional phone service to the more affordable VoIP service?
Many have been cautious of the 911 service, which is still being implemented by some VoIP providers and all of them do not cover many remote areas in the US. Currently providers are working on getting the whole of the US covered. We've heard stories of individuals calling 911 but only to have the emergency team respond to a wrong address. This is normally the fault of the VoIP subscriber not reporting a move of residence to their carrier. Also many VoIP services are transient and when they travel, 911 services are still located at their home residence or business. You will find that a few companies are working on including a GPS system into their VoIP devices, which will allow 911 services to pinpoint the individual's location. VoIP is still as reliable or better as a cell phone when it comes to 911 services.
Another concern of VoIP consumers is the loss of service when power goes out. This can be easily and somewhat inexpensively overcome by purchasing a battery back-up unit for your VoIP system. This not only will support your VoIP service during a power outage but will also prevent you from losing any work you may be doing on your PC.
Quality of calls once was a major issue for subscribers, but now has become less of a concern due new upgrades by providers and better informed users about their set-ups. When you compare VoIP with cellular services, VoIP will nearly always have a much better quality and is comparable to traditional phone service quality or in many cases surpasses it.
The truth with VoIP is that it is a great way to save over traditional phone costs. It may require a bit more attention than your old phone service, but the money it puts back into your pocket is worth it.
