Would you completely give up your telephone landline and just go with VOIP? VOIP is Voice Over Internet Protocol. In a very small nutshell, VOIP is basically telephony over the Internet, through your computer. A few people I know have completely given up on landlines and switched to either cell phones of VOIP. I’ve been reading a lot about it on the Clark Howard website (he is a proponent of VOIP). I’ve considered it for a while. Here in New York State, I pay over $50 merely to have a telephone plugged into the wall. Long distance, call waiting, DSL services, etc are extra. Not to mention all the taxes, fees, and surcharges I pay in top of it all. It is SO expensive. And it seems that every telemarketer has my number.
Anyway, VOIP is looking better and better. The service is becoming less expensive as demand and accessibility grows. Right now at itpVOIP.com, packages are as low as $9.99 for the Basic Plan, and as much as $48.99 for the super-duper Global Unlimited 2 plan. The extra perks are AMAZING. For example, the Basic Plan includes:
- FREE Linksys phone adapter/router
- Unlimited inbound calls
- The ability to keep your current number
- Free voicemail
- No annual contract
- Call waiting
- Call forwarding
Check out the website for more details. The VOIP packages are becoming very impressive, much more affordable to the “average” Joe. Having a landline is somewhat of an emotional attachment, though. Would you give it up?
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#1 by akaGaGa on January 16, 2009 - 9:23 pm
No emotional attachment here, but with the power outages we have around here, I’d be very hesitant to go VOIP. Power goes out, so does your phone. We’ve talked about just going with cell phones when we build our new house (hopefully sometime in this life!) as long as we’ve got good cell service at our location.
Are you thinking about it? Right in the middle of the snowbelt?
#2 by Mrs. Mecomber on January 16, 2009 - 10:46 pm
Thanks for your comment. I did consider the power outage thing. I am not a big telephone user, overall….
Here in Central NY, we don’t lose power a lot- not nearly as much as folks in the North Country and out in your area. And to be precise– I’m not in the snowbelt area (greater Utica). I grew up in the Snowbelt area (Oswego area) and that was wild! But even then, I don’t remember losing power a lot…. ice is the main culprit in the winter, and we always had SNOW. lol.
Thanks for your thoughts.
#3 by Sherry at EX Marks the Spot on January 17, 2009 - 2:42 pm
I gave up my landline almost two years ago. I rely totally on the cell phone – unless I misplace it.