Telephone Services

Phone services have changed over the past two decades dramatically. Not too long ago it was only long distance, calling cards, and local phone service to choose from. These days you have so many more options to choose from for your communication needs such as voice over Internet phone providers, wireless carriers, numerous phones and devices, pinless calling cards, and more. The same goes for business phone services such as hosted PBX solutions, SIP trunking, VoMPLS, and many other available options.

Not only are the newest services available vast and incredible. The companies offering telecom services and the industries their in can make one's jaw drop. Unlikely search engine companies are now diving into telephony products head first such as Google phone service and Microsoft's Bing acquiring Skype (software and app based VoIP).

Mobile Phone Service

No other telecommunication product in recent history can compare to that of the modern cell phone when it comes to popularity contests. To make and recieve calls on the go orginally was the concept of the mobile phone however, with advancements in wireless technology, much more can be done with these devices. What was once coined mobile or cell phone has now given way to the term "smartphone". A smartphone allows computing functions that give users the ability to send instant messages via text called SMS, play actual video games, watch video, share pictures, video chat, and more.

Plans for these phones typically fall into three different kind of calling plans. There are no contract calling plans, contract plans, and prepaid plans. A contract plan involves a commitment of 2 years with payments being made monthly. A no contract calling plan requires monthly payments for any amount of minutes and service is terminated without fines only when payment isn't made. The prepaid cell phone plan involves buying a preset amount of minutes and service terminating until more minutes are bought again.

VoIP Telephone Services

This telephony technology is the fastest growing in development and market share. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol and is often pronounced as "voyp" instead of naming each letter in succession which many have found exhausting. VoIP technology requires a high speed broadband connection. While this service is widely used, there are still many Americans unable to use it due to the growth of broadband in smaller areas of the United States. Advancements in satellite Internet packet routing has made it possible for some providers to now VoIP, but it is still in it's infancy. Voice over technologies may work off the same concept, but they are not all the same. Below we will look at a few of these types of technologies.

PC and Mobile VoIP Services

One of the earliest debuts for VoIP came in the form of the softphone which users accessed on their PC via dial up modem. Using a computer mic and earphones users would use this software on their computers to dial out to save on long distance rates. Believe it or not, while originally the call quality was shotty, this technology is more widespread in use than ever before.

These services allow free customer to customer calling and allow video chat as well. This technology is either downloaded on a PC or installed on smartphones via an app. These are very popular but not commonly used for everyday voice communications. Most of these services are free as well only charging for phone calls made to landlines or mobile phones.

For some time Skype has been the dominating softphone solution, but recently new players have come to compete. A very strong new adittion to the competition is a company named Tango. Other players include Android, Jajah, Fring, and more. For those that use softphone services such as Skype, there are USB cable phones to use their service from your computer.

While many services focused on the PC have been software based, one particular product has hit the consumer world by storm and has continued to grow in popularity recently. The popular product known as Magic Jack allows users to utilize a simple USB modem connection to connect their house phone for local and long distance calls. The low cost of the Magic Jack ($20.00 a year) have made this product a must for many looking for a second phone line or those wanting to bypass their more expensive landline home phone service providers. Many self employed business users have found this an excellent way to reduce telecommunication costs as well.

The same concept of VoIP is even being deployed over smartphones via apps allowing a dial-around environment for savvy wireless subscribers. When you think of the word app, think of a smaller and lighter version of software. This particular deployment of VoIP allows a smartphone user to save on International long distance calls made from their phone.

VoIP Service Companies

VoIP has really gotten it's best reputation from provider services due to it's reliability and is the best option for both home or business. Does Vonage or Comcast Digital Phone Service ring a bell? These companies and a few others offer the stability that even governement and large enterprises trust. Many VoIP companies offer free adapters and routers with their services, but is not always free.

More and more consumers and businesses have taken on this type of VoIP product as technology has improved. So much so, you can't even tell the difference between a fiber optic landline. It is not just the quality though that has people buying up these services, pricing is driving the demand just as much. Offered in flat monthly and annual fees, customers get more bang for their buck for far less. To sweeten the deal providers offer caller ID, voicemail, as well as extremely low international long distance calling rates.

With so many needs and differences in a business environment you can expect a lot of different product names using VoIP technology. Some names associated with the technology include hosted PBX, IP PBX, SIP, SIP trunking, VoMPLS, business VoIP, and so on. Many business uses include call routing, conferencing, low cost local and long distance, toll free number routing, and much more.

Landline Telephone Services

Not much has changed about these lines commonly refered to in the industry as POTs (plain ole telephone service). To not use too much space we will not cover to much on this phone service. Let's not mention that VoIP and mobile technology has really taken the stage.

Home Phone Services

Nationwide this service type still has it's place in the American family household, however it is loosing ground in the metropolitan areas. The initial lack of fiber optic broadband networks placed in more rural areas of the United States is why these older technologies still have their place in telecommunications.

One particular cost that consumers face with POTs landlines is the cost of installation that requires a technician to physically install the line. Larger telco companies have answered the call for lower cost bundled communications and usually offer an unlimited calling package for their customers, but still not as low cost as VoIP. Without a bundled package though, the customer wil pay per minute long distance rates from their phones and usually will pay a monthly fee for a specified rate.

If you have ladnline services and do not have a bundled plan there are still switched long distance carriers out there that can provide lower cost long distance rates than major carriers and some without monthly fees. You can do an online search to find the right long distance provider for this purpose.

Business Telephone Services

T1s are used in a business setting when more than 3 phone lines are to be used within the same premises which allows an orginization to save on local loop and long distance costs. T1 lines allow for there to be more than one phone line subscribed to the premises as well as Internet access depending on the situation. Large volumes of long distance calling traffic is reduced in price with a T-1 circuit as well. Business VoIP phone services are viable option for many businesses these days, however, adequate bandwidth is still required and may require a T1 Internet connection.

Cellular Phone Services

The world has been taken by storm by the phenomena of mobility and communication. What was meant to be a simple portable phone has now gotten far more advanced and does so much more now. The term smartphone has now taken over the terms cell phone, mobile phone, and cellular phone. Smartphones allow for users to navigate maps in real-time (GPS), take pictures and video, stream online videos, edit office documents, listen to music, and more.

With cellular phone devices there are basically three variations of calling plans. Contract, no contract, and prepaid calling plans are the main types of billing to expect. A contract plan is paid monthly but required of a contract otherwise cancellation fees and penalties are imposed. No contract wireless plans invlove monthly payments for cellular service but incure no penalties or fines if a payment is missed, just disconnection of service. The prepaid cell phone plan involves buying a preset amount of minutes and service terminating until more minutes are bought again.