Virtual Calling Cards Based on a VoIP Account
In a lot of ways, international travelers and businesspersons have been the backbone of the telephone industry. International travelers in particular always want to phone back home and tell everyone how they are. Up until now, the most convenient method for making a long distance call back to your home country was with a phone card or calling card that typically is purchased in the country you're visiting.
These cards are worth a set amount of minutes and the seconds and minutes are subtracted from the original amount starting with your first call. This type of card is o-k... but you never know if the card you're purchasing is any good or if the amount of minutes on the card is really valid. A phone card that is labeled as being worth "100 minutes" may actually be worth a lot less time depending on the country you calling. In the big scheme of telecommunication, a pre-paid phone card is not a good thing a major phone company.
Any time an alternative exists for service other than standard-dial-the-operator-and-place-a-call telephone service, you major phone companies are not happy. They are not happy because their profits drop. If the major phone conglomerates weren't thrilled with the arrival of the pre-paid phone card, imagine how they felt about the arrival of the internet phone which ignores standard phone lines altogether and uses instead computer bandwith which cost a fraction of a fraction of a typical phone card.
An internet phone (also called an IP Phone) uses VoIP technology. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. And like we just mentioned it is the wave of the future. Actually, you better correct that, because the future is now. IP Phones are really nothing more than a microphone and headset you plug into your commuter. After registering with the provider service VoIP you're ready to call anywhere in the world. Phone system VoIP providers like Skype and iConnect are making a killing in providing Business VoIP service and service VoIP systems that are revolutionizing the way people make phone calls.
And while all this is happening, the major phone companies are squirming because there's nothing they can do about it.
For the international traveler the virtual calling card recently came on line. The traveler registers with the service VoIP provider (like iConnect) and got a pin number and a toll-free number. No matter where the traveler is, he or she can call use toll-free or local phone number, this pin and the call is charged to prepaid account or billed to a monthly account. The important thing to consider is with this carrier VoIP service, you are not paying to join, there is no service charge and again - you're paying a fraction of what you were paying before.
So life is good. Actually better than ever, thanks to telephony VoIP technology. Even though they charge next-to-nothing, solution VoIP companies make a huge profit through the sheer volume of customers signing up for the service. The customers are happy because the service is great and more and more independent phone companies are jumping on the VoIP bandwagon. Suddenly there's competition to see just how little it actually costs to make a phone call.
Inexpensive service, happy customers and nervous phone companies… Who can't seem to let go of the old way of doing things. Who says progress isn't fun?
Kevin Whales for Callsend.net
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VoIP Glossary
® Callsend.com - 2006