by JQ Adams

Created on: August 21, 2007

With the recent disappearance from internet telephony provider, Sunrocket, there's a major gap in the phone market for people who used to have Sunrocket's service. Many will be migrated to other services on a seamless basis, but it still might be a good time to take a look at some of the other phone services available, especially if you're still using a land line for your calls.

If you've never heard of VOIP (voice over internet protocol) before, it's essentially a way to get your standard phone service through the internet. Instead of hooking your phone directly into the wall and writing a check to AT&T or whichever Bell is servicing your home, you'll instead plug a phone that they provide for you into a high-speed internet connect. You'll save quite a bit of money in the process because the competition among VOIP providers is so great. Compare these VOIP Plans to your existing service:

Vonage Vonage is currently offering two residential plans. Their unlimited plan costs $24.95 a month and includes unlimited local and long distance calling n the US and Canada. It also features free call waiting, voice mail, call forwarding, call transfer, caller ID, and caller ID block. Their basic plan offers 500 minutes of local and long distance calling and the additional features listed above.

Packet8.Net Packet8 charges $19.95 per month and will give you unlimited long distance calls and local calling. In addition you will receive Caller ID, voice mail, and call forwarding at no additional charge.

iConnectHere With iConnectHere, you can use the phone system with or without an actual telephone. You can make calls directly through your computer through a headset, or alternatively you can hook your telephone jack directly into your computer and speak that way. They have a number of different plans, so you'll want to check their website for all of the details. Their plans include unlimited long distance, voice mail, caller ID, and all of the standard additional features.

Via:Talk This company is following SunRocket's models and offering unlimited calling for $199 a year ($17 a month). You'll receive unlimited calling to the US and Canada, as well as voice mail, caller id, call waiting, call return, call recording, and a free 411 service.

There are dozens of other phone providers out there, however with the recent demise of Sunrocket, one might be well suited to stick with an established VOIP company that's more likely to still be in business in the near future.

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