VoIP

Maybe you think 99 percent of the Internet is a waste of time. Maybe you think cell phones are a nuisance. But even the biggest technophobe can agree that VoIP, also known as Voice over Internet Protocol, is a technology worth exploring.

That's because of one main reason: VoIP can save you a significant amount of money on your phone bill.

VoIP allows users to make a voice call anywhere in the world for much less money. That's because VoIP generally relies on the Internet to send voice communications around the world. Instead of paying a long-distance phone bill, VoIP users instead must simply pay their monthly Internet Service Provider fee.

VoIP works mostly like traditional telephone service. You still use your own home or mobile phone. However, the call is sent to your phone not through the telephone company's wiring but instead through your high-speed Internet service.

According to studies, users can save 40 percent on local calls when they make these calls using VoIP technology. For long-distance calls, the savings are even greater, an amazing 90 percent.

You will need broadband Internet services to use VoIP. Fortunately, this high-speed Internet service is becoming more common, and more affordable, across the country.

To access VoIP you'll also need to sign up with a service provider. These providers offer a variety of rates and fee schedules, so you'll want to shop around. Do an online search to find out who is offering the rates and packages that fit best with your lifestyle.

In addition to offering communications for far less, VoIP also allows as many people as you want to join in the same conversation. This makes VoIP perfect for business meetings and other corporate functions.

Of course, VoIP is still a relatively new technology. That means it does have some kinks that still need to be worked out.

For instance, the voice quality of VoIP sometimes lags behind that of traditional telephone service. There may be slight delays in the conversation. VoIP service may also be subject to power failures, something that does not impact traditional telephone service.

But VoIP technology is improving every day, and these problems are already less pronounced than they once were. It's only a matter of time before a VoIP call boasts the same reliability and quality as a traditional phone call.

This means that VoIP may be the ideal solution if you want to reduce your monthly phone bills.