"Voice over Internet Protocol" also called VoIP, IP Telephony, Internet telephony, Broadband telephony, Broadband Phone and Voice over Broadband is the routing of voice conversations over the Internet or through any other IP-based device. To find more information of what VoIP is and how it works, go to http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/ip-telephony.htm or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_over_IP . And before getting into the VoIP service providers' information, if you are here to look for a VoIP option from your PC, then head over to the PC VoIP section instead. The current section is for choosing a residential VoIP service. Before you finalize your option of the service provider, look up http://www.deals2buy.com/voip.htm for any current promotions.
VoIP Providers in India: Most of the people in the US go for the option of setting up a VoIP service in India to call their homes at a cheaper price. If the option of using calling cards is pricey for you, it is always a good idea to subscribe for a service paying ~$25 per month and make unlimited free calls to India and vice versa. A large number of people have already set up their vonage (or another VoIP service) instruments in India so that the family back home can receive unlimited calls from the US. All you need is a low outgoing and unlimited incoming plan. And, you can always choose this route. We do also have some VoIP providers coming up in India offering on-site installation at your location in India. The following are a few of the services. At this point, we cannot certify the best of this lot as they have hiccups based on the location in India. So, check with your friends who already use this service and decide the best service for your location.
A few words on some of the providers listed above.
Vonage
Vonage is the first and is the most used VoIP service in US and Canada. With its brand name and publicity, it has become the alternative term for VoIP in the US. While there are a few drawbacks it is currently the most trusted service.
You can get unlimited calling across the United States and Canada for $24.99 per month plus additional taxes. And you can also call to Europe and Asia (including India) for relatively lower cost. While the other players in this sector are constantly behind Vonage, it still leads providing better quality and customer service to the end user.
You have a 1 year contract and an early termination fee, along with the Installation charges. Only, if you sign up under a promotional offer, a few of these charges are waived - sometimes . So, spend a few minutes to click through and read the fine print in Terms of Service before falling for the advertised prices.
Packet8
Packet8 is one of the preferred VoIP services now. The call quality is as good as vonage and offers a few additional advantages listed below. 1. No contract and hence no disconnect fee.
2. Free equipment (after rebate though).
3. Lower calling rates. Using packet8, you can call internationally at a much lower price than Vonage.
4. Offers a free Soft phone to use the service from the PC without an actual phone. This does help, if you travel frequently as you can keep using the same phone using your laptop.
Viatalk
Viatalk keeps running $199/year deal and is a fairly good service provider.
Teleblend
I have listed teleblend here so that you know that this service is out there. While there are a lot of speculation about it being the former sunrocket company (which went out of business), we are not too sure. So, if you happen to come across this option, just make sure that you get your money's worth.
ALLVOI
allvoi is a fairly new entrant and promises a lot. I haven't tried it yet but the prices are pretty attractive.
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