The rise and rise of broadband and VoIP

The telecommunications industry has been completely shaken up in the past decade. The use of broadband has transformed the way people communicate with each other. Superfast broadband is now available to half the homes in the UK. Many people take it for granted, and rely on speedy connections, generous bandwidth allowances, and instant access to e-mail to stay in touch.

Hot on the trail of this telecommunication revolution is another rapidly evolving technology. Voice over Internet protocol – or VoIP – or Voice over IP – allows people to speak to each other using their internet rather than traditional telephone lines.

High expectations

Just as many people now take access to broadband for granted, so customers are fast realising how easy it is to switch to VoIP telephone services. VoIP technology is now widespread and mainstream. Huge improvements in recent years mean that it’s now possible to make Internet calls that are crystal clear, unlimited and available to anyone who has access to a high speed internet or broadband connection and a telephone handset.

Savvy customers don’t want to be tied to their computer, or be forced to use a headset microphone, in order to make or receive Internet calls. Vonage, for example, allows you to use your normal telephone handset to make VoIP calls. The person you are calling doesn’t have to be signed up to the same service – they don’t even need broadband, or even a computer! They simply answer your call using their own telephone handset, just as normal. They need never know that anything has changed!

Today’s smart customers won’t put up with poor quality service, either. They want crystal clear calls, excellent customer service, a choice of service providers, and a choice of affordable call plans. Again, Vonage offers all of these, along with many call features and optional add-ons so that customers can make Internet calls in a way that suits them best.

The many benefits of Internet calls

Setup costs are low, because you use your resisting broadband connection and telephone handsets. Internet calls to landlines within your call plan are unlimited, and rates for Internet calls to numbers outside your call plan are highly competitive. Internet calls are usually charged on a completely different model to traditional telephone lines. Rather than charging are per minute cost, service providers charge a flat monthly fee, which makes budgeting much easier.

And because you are now making Internet calls rather than using a traditional landline, your VoIP service is entirely mobile. As long as you’ve got access to a broadband connection and a telephone handset, you can simply plug in your adapter and make Internet calls, no matter where you are in the world. No wonder more and more people are switching to VoIP to get unlimited free internet calls.