Making calls through broadband, using VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology, tends to work out much cheaper than using conventional phone companies. Here are the main ways in which VoIP providers can keep their own costs low – and thus pass on savings to broadband phone customers. There are several ways that you can save money by using VoIP to make phone calls. It depends mostly on the type of broadband connection you already have, and how a broadband phone might best fit into your life. No line rental (cable broadband customers) The biggest savings will be for people who have the newer, fibre optic based cable broadband technology. In the UK, Virgin is the main supplier of cable broadband. With this, your cable broadband is totally separate and independent from your phone line (which may or may not be with the same company). So you can cancel your phone line at any time without affecting your broadband connection. This means that you can easily switch to making all your calls using VoIP technology (over your cable broadband), and cancel your old phone line completely. You’ll make savings instantly, because you will no longer have to pay for line rental, which can be upwards of £10 a month. And that’s before you’ve even picked up the phone to make your first call! A second line for cheap calls (ADSL customers) Alternatively, your broadband may be the older ‘ADSL’ copper-based technology. BT, for example, uses this. If this is the case, your broadband connection comes through your provider’s telephone line. If you cancel your landline, you’ll lose your broadband connection, too. If you have ADSL broadband, you can however still enjoy substantial savings by using your broadband to make phone calls. You could, for example, use VoIP to call PC to PC. In this case, most of your calls will be completely free. If you call from your PC to another landline, you will probably pay for the calls. The tariffs, though, tend to be significantly cheaper than those levied by traditional phone companies. But you’ll probably make the greatest savings by using VoIP as your second phone line – and use that to make your main landline or mobile calls. You could either use it as a second family line, for example, or keep it for business, or start using it to make all your calls. You’ll still have to pay for your line rental with your existing provider and your ongoing broadband costs , but, once you’ve set up your second phone line, you can use that line to make much cheaper calls. Unlimited anytime calls VoIP providers offer various packages of different country bundles. Each, though, for a low, set monthly fee, allows you to make unlimited anytime calls to landlines in the countries listed in your bundle. This means no more clock-watching, no waiting until a certain time to pick up the phone, no nasty phone bill surprises. Traditional phone companies, by contrast, have a range of tariffs (often rather confusing). They may charge different rates for day, evening and weekend calls, for example. And they typically charge by the minute. That is, the longer the call, the higher the charge. Broadband phone providers don’t do this. You just pay your set monthly fee, and that’s it. Free call features Traditional telephone companies usually offer 3-5 call features. If you want to set up any other features (such as call divert, caller id or caller waiting), you will be charged. VoIP providers typically offer all the same features, and more, for free. So whatever your existing broadband set-up, you can make significant savings by using voice over IP to make most, if not all, of your phone calls.
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