Those were still the early days of the entry of VOIP in the market. Still an esoteric term to many of us. Not so much today. Once feared and revered as an elite technology that only the experts could make head or tail of, it has of today, become an organic mass system of means of communication. It would not be an overstatement to say that VOIP is leading the way in digital communication.
To cut through the rhetoric, what we know is that VOIP refers to Voice over Internet Protocol. This technology converts spoken sounds into digital signals. This allows the voice to be transmitted over a network such as the internet. Your voice is transmitted as sound data packets across the internet to the receiver at the other end. The internet should be broadband or high speed connection. Apart from this, you will require a cable modem or other means of wireless services, a phone equipped with this facility or a special software inside it for this purpose.
There are also a few minor problems with these services such as failure to function during a power outage, especially as when your service provider may not offer backup power for these situations.
VOIP technology has revolutionised the way calls are being made and billed around the world.
It has made talking to anyone around the world as easy as surfing the internet. and this means of telephony often costs you nothing more than than the rate of a local phone call.
Certain things to be kept in mind while using this service: Your service provider may charge you for calls outside your area, so make sure to check the terms of service for the same. You may also avail these services at flat rates as offered by some providers to be able to make long-distance calls at the lowest rates you would have ever imagined. These services may be availed with either your traditional handset phone or with a microphone over the Internet.
Accessibility at economic rates is no more an issue with VOIP.
