The expensive telephony services of yesteryears have given way to cheap long distance calls that are routed over the Internet. Also known as Voice over IP, or IP telephony, this intelligent way of communicating is making a lot of sense to a wide cross-section of people from across the globe. Voice over IP has several merits to its credit. First and foremost, the potential users of voice over IP services are able to make long distance calls as and when they want to, in lieu of an affordable monthly fee.

As compared to the traditional phone systems, the costs of making calls using this innovative technology is quite low. The providers of these services offer some of the best deals in order to attract and retain customers in a market that is increasingly growing competitive with each passing day. All these factors ensure that the customers and end users of VoIP are able to enjoy some of the best services at best prices.

The savings accrued are huge by any standards. The phone bills that would have driven a person crazy with worry are now a thing of the past. Potential users can also make the most of the flexible nature of VoIP.

They can, for instance, retain old phone numbers. Quite a few voice over IP providers exist in the online marketplace that allow users this flexibility. Many a times, potential users are free to make use of bundled services, wherein their Internet and phone services are available as part of a comprehensive packaged deal. These bundled VoIP services translate into significant savings for both residential as well as corporate users.

While switching to IP telephony, potential users could either 1.change local numbers to VoIP phone numbers or 2.go for this option as and when they want to make long distance calls Moreover, users could often find themselves in a position, wherein they are making calls at regular intervals to some special numbers.

These numbers could be the numbers of loved ones in another country or they could also be the phone numbers of colleagues and business associates located in another continent. In such instances, it would be in their interests to go for local numbers in those specific areas. These numbers can be obtained quite easily from the voip providers catering to that region. The benefit of such a switch is quite evident. The loved one or the business associate can then make calls to these local numbers to connect with the users more economically.

And the best part is that quite a few options are available to interested users. One can make calls using personal computers with related software. As a matter of fact, developments are on for integrating the personal computer with VoIP enabled phone services. One can make calls through special Voice over IP phones that are being provided by the service providers in many instances. One can also make the most of additional features such as caller ID, call waiting and call forwarding that are often a part of many of the VoIP deals.

Many of these voice over IP providers also ensure that the subscribers to their services can block calls as well as forward calls to specific destinations. With 3 way calling, speed dialing, and other equally interesting options, there is something for everybody. While selecting voice over ip providers, however, a little bit of research would always help. Potential users should go for the most affordable services.

Moreover, the QoS parameters should also be kept in mind while making the final purchase decisions. Moreover, local numbers for special areas should be available. In addition, specialised services such as call forwarding and caller ID go a long way in making these offers all the more attractive. Voice over ip service is ringing in the next generation in communication.

And individuals and institutions from different domains are more than happy with the latest developments in this sphere. SMBs, large corporation, as well as individuals are going in for the switch from PSTN networks to voice over IP.

Author bio
Adrianna Machowski is a former model with experience of catwalk and catalogue modeling. For the past four years she's been contributing to websites such as Atlanta Model Agency, Hawaii Model Agency.