VOIP, the way to call whenever,wherever!

VOIP (Voice-over-Internet Protocol) will be having it's major breakthrough not far from now; because the only thing you really need is a stable broadband connection with the desired speed,.. to support internet telephony with some quality of service. In good conditions it is no longer noticeable that you're making a call over the internet. So landlines are becoming superfluous, particulary because they are more expensive.

Of course there is the wellknown tool: Skype, with this softphone (software program that let's you make phone calls) you can call other Skype users for free. It also offers attractive rates for calls to landlines or mobile phones and even a monthly fee so you can call unlimited (available in the US for about 3 bucks a month). And this technology is mobile too, especially when mobile phones (e.g. Iphone 3G) are connected to the internet through a relatively fast internet connection (3G or wifi); if this is the case you're able to make VOIP calls wherever you are. So it's a good thing for VOIP that such wireless networks are expanding and will have a great coverage in the near future.

It's understandable if you don't like to make calls with your computer using a headset,... and don't want to start your computer whenever you'd like to call someone (or have to leave your computer on just to be reachable). Therefore there exist phones that only have to be connected with a router. This phones support a protocol: Skype (Skype has it's own protocol) and/or the alternative Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). So while installing this phone (e.g. Siemens Giggaset C470IP) you just provide your SIP (or Skype) account information and you're ready to make VOIP calls with a (cordless) phone whenever you want. Another thing that is often offered by providers is an adapter so your current telephone can be used to make calls over the internet (e.g. Vonage V-portal).

There are a lot of SIP tools available, but my favorite one is Voipcheap. You just create an account, download the application and are ready to start making calls: so you can call other Voipcheap users and send SMS messages for free. In most countries it's free to make calls to landlines and in the US it's even free to call mobile phones. You'll think what's the catch, well the only thing you have to do is buy credit (10 euro) every 90 days to receive "freedays" (otherwise cheap ratings apply); this credit can be used to make non-free calls or you can use it to make your mobile calls by calling through a provided access number.

The only minor disadvantages opposed to an oldfashioned telephone line are that in case of a power failure you probably want be able to make any calls and when you call an emergency number it may not be routed to the nearest local emergency dispatch center. Also most services don't provide you a telephone number, so people can't reach you using their general phone, but it's possible to buy a number and connect it to your VOIP service. But we can conclude that if you want to pay less even when you start calling more it's time to switch to a VOIP service.