No More Phone Company? No More Long Distance Charges!
By Mike Fiske

It may be time to Hang Up on your Phone Company. It’s also time for a new acronym: V.O.I.P. But don’t be scared... this one’s going to save you a bundle.

VOIP is an acronym for Voice Over IP, or in more common terms phone service over the Internet. If you have a reasonably fast & stable Internet connection you can get your phone service delivered to you through your Internet connection instead of from your local phone company.

Some people use VOIP in addition to their traditional phone service, since VOIP service providers usually offer substantial lower rates and in some cases unlimited domestic long distance. You can even move your traditional phone number but most people will choose a secondary number free of charge. Most VOIP service providers include full 911 service, phone directory listings, 411 service, etc.

In general, phone service via VOIP costs less than equivalent service from traditional sources. This is largely a function of traditional phone services either being monopolies or government entities. There are also some cost savings due to using a single network to carry voice and data.

Let’s take a look at one of the largest & fastest growing VOIP service providers, lingo™. With lingo, you connect your telephone to your high-speed Internet connection using the lingo phone adapter that they send you. After you plug one end into your DSL or Cable modem from your Internet provider you plug the other end into your phone. Pick up the phone, and use it just like you do today. It doesn’t matter if it is a corded or cordless phone. There is an immediate dial tone just like a traditional “land line”. You can be up and running within minutes of receiving your phone adapter. I personally have a 2 line cordless phone with 2 phone line inputs located on the back. One is plugged into the phone company’s line & the other is plugged into the adapter.

What about line quality you ask? I cannot tell the difference between the two & neither can the person I am talking to on the other end. There is no discernable difference between the two.

Phone features? Instead of the phone company charging you for every add-on that you subscribe to, 3-way calling, caller id, voice mail, call waiting, *69 etc., lingo provides all of these features plus many more as part of their “package deal”.

Another feature is the “Virtual Phone Number”. You can choose a virtual phone number wherever your friends, family, or customers live and they can call you for the price of a local call. Whether they’re across the country or across the globe, your family and friends can call you like you’re right next door. Virtual phone numbers are inexpensive secondary numbers that ring to your primary lingo line. Simply select a virtual phone number in one of the many regions they offer.

For example:

Let’s say that you live in Chicago where your primary VOIP number starts with 773. Your mom lives in Florida. Her area code is 847. You could get a virtual phone number in 847 that rings to your 773 line. Now mom doesn’t have to pay long distance charges when she calls you. They even offer local numbers in other countries too!

Simultaneous Ring is a very handy tool. Simultaneous Ring rings all the numbers in your ring list simultaneously (a feature that you will set up via their website). The call will connect to the first phone that’s picked up.

For example:

Your family is expecting a baby any day now. You absolutely don’t want to miss that call, so you use Simultaneous Ring to ring all your lines at once. Then you can pick up whichever one is nearest and be on your way.

Own a Small Business? - You can add a secondary dedicated FAX line for about 10 bucks a month. You can also add an 800 number for about 5 bucks a month.

Now here is where this gets scary for the local telephone companies. All of these features that I’ve outlined thus far costs $19.95 per month. Plus free harware for the connection. Remember, no domestic (including Canada) long distance charges. Plus free calls to 17 western European countries. If you have a a high speed connection through a cable company or if you have access to a “dry loop” dsl line (A line that does not require phone service) you could eliminate the phone company entirely. Remember, you are allowed by law to take your phone number with you. A more practical method for saving money every month is to keep your dsl or cable modem line, sign up for VOIP service & call your phone company & tell them you want only the minimum telephone service possible.

One last feature that I personally love. The voice mail. Think of it as voice mail on steroids. If you are out of town or miss a call, it will go to your voicemail. Sounds pretty straightforward right? Wait. While it sounds just like your average answering machine to the caller, there is more in store. Here’s where it gets cool - when you receive a voicemail, it alerts you via email. You log into your account via a web browser and BAM! There is a list of the caller id’s that rang you & you can listen to your voice mails over the web! You can also check your voicemail in the traditional sense, from any phone, or have your machine at home pick it up as well.

Here is a quick recap of what you get with the $19.95 per month plan:

1 Month Free

With lingo's Unlimited VoIP home phone service, you’ll have everything you’re used to with your current home phone system and a lot more. There’s nothing to miss except for your large monthly phone bill.

With lingo Unlimited You'll Get:

Basic Features:

Advanced Features

With lingo's unlimited plan, you’ll have everything you’re used to with your current home phone system and a lot more. There’s nothing to miss except for your large monthly phone bill.

*Western European subscription includes calls from lingo subscriber to the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Luxembourg, Vatican City, Norway, Portugal, and Spain. US includes AK, HI, PR, USVI and calls to cellular phones

To find out more visit Lingo's website here.

Mike Fiske is the former Head of Production for a top tier international interactive agency.  He is now the owner/designer of mikefiske.consulting, a Marketing & Design company based in Los Angeles, CA. You can reach him by clicking here.