Kai -
Just so you know where I'm coming from , I work at the Public Utilities
Commission of Ohio. I manage the Wholesale section of the
Telecommunications division, and have been studying VoIP as a policy
matter for the last two years. (Yeah, it's been out there at least that
long...)
The Positive side of VoIP:
Cost.
Manageability.
Flexibility. (These two come from the fact that most VoIP systems have
Web interfaces where you can fetch voicemail, reconfigure your lines, etc.)
The Negative side of VoIP:
No Enhanced 911 (The EMS dispatcher won't automatically know your location.)
No Telephone service if the power goes out. (Unless you're using DSL
for your broadband connection, and you want to invest in serious battery
back-up.)
Even the best VoIP systems (thus far) have a noticeable "lag" while
packets are assembled. (A slight but discernible hesitation between when
you start talking and the other guy hears it.)
Little or no protection from your State Public Utilities Commission.
(The FCC recently decided that, since VoIP calls can't be clearly
divided between interstate and intrastate, that it was all interstate,
and the FCC's jurisdiction.)
How long the cost savings will last will depend on how the FCC decides
the question of whether VoIP is a Telephone service or a Data service.
(Much, if not all, of the cost savings comes form dodging taxes and fees
on traditional telephone service.)
That's the nutshell view. If you want more specifics, holler. Don't
let the longer list of negatives deter you. I think it's a really
positive thing for telephone competition, but people need to understand
what they're getting and what they aren't. For a business line, it
might be just the ticket.
Kai M. Radicke wrote:
>Not quite a shop-talk topic, but this seemed like the best place to ask
>without anyone screaming "VoIP? ... does not sound like it is something I
>want in my MG!"
>
>Does anyone have experience with VoIP providers or are using a VoIP service
>right now for their home or business phones?
>
>I have gotten quite a bit of direct mail from both Vonage ( www.vonage.com )
>and AT&T, which seems to be reselling Vonage services, about switching to
>their plans.
>
>The deals do seem really nice, $50 a month for two lines seems like a good
>deal, especially with all of the features they include and the free
>equipment to convert to their setup. My internet provider, Comcast, is
>fairly reliable... we only have short problems (under 6hours downtime) once
>or twice a year.
>
>But how is the quality of VoIP phone service? What happens if my computer
>network traffic in the office is high or for whatever reason Comcast's
>network is congested itself, is the conversation going to get dropped?
>
>I would stand to save $480 a year by switching for my business phone
>service(s), which is looking really good considering Verizon did not fix my
>phones for three days this week... and only when I yelled hard enough was
>the problem fixed tonight in under 15 minutes over the phone.
>
>Thanks for any tips or info!
>
>Kai
>
>--
>Kai M. Radicke
>Wishbone Classics
>* British Car Parts *
>www.wbclassics.com
>Ph: 215.945.7250
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