What? How can a phone line use the internet? Well, it's the internet, silly. The internet can do just about anything except make toast, nowadays! Right?

You know by now that virtually any data can be sent and received (transferred) using the internet. This includes music, movies, email, text documents, pictures, and so on. Well, telephone calls, just like music, are a form of audio that can be transferred via the net.

So what does all this mean to you? And should you get VOIP?

It's important to know that VOIP is the future. You may have heard rumors during the ‘80's and ‘90's—predictions, if you will—that television, radio, telephone service, and so on, would all be merged into one medium in the early 21st Century. You may or may not have believed it. Movies like Back to the Future 2, starring Michael J. Fox, predicted this very reality (albeit in a slightly cheesy and over-dramatized fashion). Bear in mind: that movie came out almost two decades ago, and of course visions of the “future” are always a bit skewed and exceedingly grandiose.

With that said, Back to the Future 2, and early predictions about all forms of media converging into one monster format, had it right. The internet is the Big Format, it is here now in full swing, and VOIP is a perfect example of that union which the internet comprises.

So yes, the near future, and even today, the telephone has merged with TV, movies, music, pictures, and so much more, by becoming part of the online world. That alone should be proof that getting on the bandwagon early cannot hurt you. The internet is obviously not going away; thus technologies utilizing this phenomenal breakthrough we like to call the World Wide Web, are not going anywhere either. They are here to stay.

So yes, VOIP is a great way to get started on an innovative technology that is bound to be tomorrow's standard. (Look at how fast DVD's, cell phones, and mp3s became popular. Consider that and then do the math on VOIP! It's going to be standardized very soon, most likely!) It is most certainly time to give VOIP a try, if you aren't already subscribing.

In addition to the bragging rights, you will also experience lower pricing with VOIP phone lines, at least currently. Check around; there are many companies that offer VOIP service—and that doesn't mean just your ISP (Internet Service Provider), either!

Check around and price-compare VOIP service providers, and find the plan that works for you. It's almost guaranteed you will experience great savings over your POTS (plain old telephone service) when you switch to VOIP. As an added bonus, you'll help usher in the next exciting breakthrough of this perfect time to be alive, which all we know and love as “The New Millenium!”