 voip_user
join:2006-06-14
Middletown, CT | Love It Looks very attractive for the price of $24.99 for unlimited calling to 60 countries.. Just need to check the fine print what unlimited means even if it is 3000 minutes (of international minutes) and decent voice quality IT will be GREAT !! | |
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knightmb
Everybody Lies
join:2003-12-01
Franklin, TN
 ·AT&T DSL Service
| Re: Interesting said by baineschile  :But a soon to be dead technology. The savings people will get with bundling cable and fiber will eventually win out over independant VoIP; not to mention the explosive progress of wireless services over the next few years. Kudos on investing in infastructure and getting what people want, but in the market now, I am short selling Vonage. Makes note of another doomsday Vonage prediction...... 
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Fight Insight Ready (Was NebuAD) and the like:
Click Here to pollute their data | |
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NetAdmin
CCNA
join:2008-05-22
| said by baineschile :But a soon to be dead technology. The savings people will get with bundling cable and fiber will eventually win out over independant VoIP; not to mention the explosive progress of wireless services over the next few years. Only if you go with Vonage...
With the service plan I have from another independent VoIP provider, I'm paying less than $12.00/month and I make long distance calls. I have yet to see any bundle come close to that for phone service.
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"This is a bus. You know how big a bus is?" | |
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wifi4milez
Big Russ, 1918 to 2008. Rest in Peace
join:2004-08-07
New York, NY
 ·Verizon FIOS
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
 ·RoadRunner Cable
 ·BroadVoice
| Re: Interesting said by NetAdmin :said by baineschile :But a soon to be dead technology. The savings people will get with bundling cable and fiber will eventually win out over independant VoIP; not to mention the explosive progress of wireless services over the next few years. Only if you go with Vonage... With the service plan I have from another independent VoIP provider, I'm paying less than $12.00/month and I make long distance calls. I have yet to see any bundle come close to that for phone service. My primary line at home (I have many) is a Broadvoice BYOD line. It costs me $5.95 per month, and includes 200 minutes of local calls. Even with all the calling my wife does to her parents in NJ, my total bill (including taxes and fees) is rarely over $15.
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Obama = Jimmy Carter part 2
"Secret operations are essential in war; upon them the army relies to make its every move"
-Sun Tzu-
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baineschile
2600
Premium
join:2008-05-10
Sterling Heights, MI | Re: Interesting I have a wirless phone, and Magic Jack. The combination is the cheapest and most efficient residential solution.
Business lines will still need POTS, but that will (probably) be supplied by whatever company is their ISP as well. | |
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Premium,MVM
join:2007-11-01
Boynton Beach, FL
| Re: Interesting said by baineschile :Business lines will still need POTS, but that will (probably) be supplied by whatever company is their ISP as well. That's probably only true for small businesses, most larger customers have been using one form or another of VoIP for many years now. | |
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nixen
Rockin' the Boxen
Premium
join:2002-10-04
Alexandria, VA
·Cox HSI
·Speakeasy
| said by baineschile :I have a wirless phone, and Magic Jack. The combination is the cheapest and most efficient residential solution. Business lines will still need POTS, but that will (probably) be supplied by whatever company is their ISP as well. My prior employer (less than 100 employees) had been using VOIP, exclusively, since opening their most recent office.
A fair number of the customers I consulted for (mostly LARGE institutions) through my last employer were exclusively VOIP, as well.
The beauty of VOIP is, you can have a workforce scattered all over the world and still have them on a unified calling system. You can even support roaming users on the same system. The best you can really do with POTs is to have PBX/Centrex extensions run to fixed locations (remote offices, home offices, etc.). Doesn't really give you the flexibility to have a unified roaming workforce.
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The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. -- Bertrand Russell | |
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nixen
Rockin' the Boxen
Premium
join:2002-10-04
Alexandria, VA
·Cox HSI
·Speakeasy
| said by baineschile :But a soon to be dead technology. The savings people will get with bundling cable and fiber will eventually win out over independant VoIP; not to mention the explosive progress of wireless services over the next few years. Kudos on investing in infastructure and getting what people want, but in the market now, I am short selling Vonage. You must have different bundling available to you, then. I know that vs. a Cox bundle, it's STILL cheaper to get Cox HSI and the Vonage Unlimited package than it is to get the Cox HSI + VOIP bundle. Further, even if the cost was a wash, the features that Vonage offers (even before this announcement) makes it a winner over bundling.
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The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. -- Bertrand Russell | |
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wwdubbia
join:2002-06-03
Clinton, NY
| said by baineschile :But a soon to be dead technology. The savings people will get with bundling cable and fiber will eventually win out over independant VoIP; not to mention the explosive progress of wireless services over the next few years. Kudos on investing in infastructure and getting what people want, but in the market now, I am short selling Vonage. the technology won't die, but the carrier might. All telco's are moving to an IP backbone. | |
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| fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20
| ... but did you read the part about international calling (minus cell phones) in that plan? Cable and the other providers aren't offering that.
This is actually a smart move on Vonage - HOWEVER, there's still that whole "cell phone not included" thing that will eventually drive people nuts, especially since a lot of other countries are migrating to cell phone use.
I've had a Vonage account since 2004 and it's still reliable as all can be.. even over my Comcast CDV service.. to be honest, I find the call quality of Vonage superior at times over CDV.. (Again, everyone's experience with this kinda technology is going to vary)
A lot of people called Satellite dead, same as Tivo (in fact, if you recall, Tivo was on a death march at one time before Comcast came in and worked on the software deal) and these companies both pulled out a full stops and are still here today to talk about it too... so, I've learned in today's environment never to say "this is the end".. people have been calling Vonage dead now for a few years.. and guess what? .. I just hung up on a call that was done over Vonage.. still here, and just earlier I watched a show that my Tivo Series III recorded for me.  | |
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cameronsfx
join:2009-01-08
Pensacola, FL | I have Google Voice, a free phone number, free voicemail, and free calling to every state except Alaska and Hawaii. I have a basic landline that Google Voice makes full functioning.
The call quality: excellent. Just like a regular phone. | |
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chemaupr
join:2005-06-06
Alexandria, VA
| to late I was a Vonage customer for very long years. While I didn't have a real compliant I drop them last week in favor of google voice. More features, better value. Still today vonage does not offer any use full way to mange your phn over a smartphone. I like their voice mail transcripts but was not paying 25 cents per message... | |
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NY Tel
Premium
join:2004-04-09
Smithtown, NY
·VOIPo
| Re: to late said by dellsweig :said by chemaupr :I was a Vonage customer for very long years. While I didn't have a real compliant I drop them last week in favor of google voice. More features, better value. Still today vonage does not offer any use full way to mange your phn over a smartphone. I like their voice mail transcripts but was not paying 25 cents per message... VMeToo Iphone App..... GV is not much good - even on a smartphone as it uses your CARRIERS minutes just like a normal cell call. At home - it requires a computer - no benefit there.... I agree with you but with clarification: Gv is an application that has features and benefits. Those benefits are different to everyone.
I make very few LD calls and have a very cheap POTS line.
I use GV at home to place those occasional LD calls.
On my cell, I use it to give out my "pseudo-cell" number to business clients.
After hours and on weekends, they get "cut off" from reaching me and they also don't know my real number so at any point I can jettison all of them (If I change jobs etc.).
As for using minutes, yes you are correct however carriers use the billing information to determine if it is a cell to cell call.
If someone calls me and they are on my carrier, their caller ID gets passed through to Verizon Wireless and it is treated as a free call for me but not for the originator.
I think it is an apples to oranges comparison right now and there is a market for both.
I've had voip since 2004 and recently dropped it all for $$ reasons but I applied that money to my cell plan to make it unlimited, so again - I reap the benefit that is specific to me.
I'm not so sure about the future of voip as a money saving service. I do think it will become the preferred means of transport for phone calls as time marches on but discounts?
Not sure how long those will last and I do think most people would rather bundle it with their cable or phone company so they have 1 stop shopping.
Hey, we could all go MagicJack  | |
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| | | chemaupr
join:2005-06-06
Alexandria, VA | Re: to late  I just didn't want to write that much but yes to all of the above... | |
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NY Tel
Premium
join:2004-04-09
Smithtown, NY
·VOIPo
| Re: to late said by chemaupr ::) I just didn't want to write that much but yes to all of the above... lol - I have been accused of being a very good communicator in many performance evaluations and also as someone who "writes too much" by much "stupider" bosses than I..... | |
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NwkEWR
Spare Me the Socialist B.S.
Premium
join:2002-04-10
Newark, NJ
·AT&T Yahoo
·Vonage
·Optimum Online
| Re: to late said by TKJunkMail :said by chemaupr :I was a Vonage customer for very long years. While I didn't have a real compliant I drop them last week in favor of google voice. More features, better value. Still today vonage does not offer any use full way to mange your phn over a smartphone. I like their voice mail transcripts but was not paying 25 cents per message... Your right. Goggle Voice will kill off Vonage in the US in a relatively short period of time. Vonage's days are numbered. What about chemaupr's right, or is it left? Turn left, right?
That "Goggle Voice" you mentioned is news to me, I had never heard of goggles that have voices, but hey, there's always a first time for everything, right... or is it left?
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BEWARE: "We can't expect the American people to jump from Capitalism to Communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of Socialism, until they awaken one day to find that they have Communism." - Nikita Khrushchev - | |
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| | iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Golden, CO | Last I checked, Google Voice through an ATA wasn't officially supported.
Google Voice is more like an LD calling card + advanced voice services mashup than an actual VoIP provider. At least for most people. | |
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TKJunkMail
Enjoy the sun
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Avalon, NJ
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Comcast
| Re: to late said by iansltx :Last I checked, Google Voice through an ATA wasn't officially supported. Google Voice is more like an LD calling card + advanced voice services mashup than an actual VoIP provider. At least for most people. I knocked my landline bill down from approx $60/mo with all the fees included to approx $18/mo with all fees included by using Google Voice.
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My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page | |
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NY Tel
Premium
join:2004-04-09
Smithtown, NY
·VOIPo
| Re: to late said by TKJunkMail :said by iansltx :Last I checked, Google Voice through an ATA wasn't officially supported. Google Voice is more like an LD calling card + advanced voice services mashup than an actual VoIP provider. At least for most people. I knocked my landline bill down from approx $60/mo with all the fees included to approx $18/mo with all fees included by using Google Voice. Of course what people don't realize is in order to get it to work you have to hold the phone over your head, waving it wildly while clucking like a chicken... | |
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travelguy
join:1999-09-03
Santa Fe, NM | Visual Voicemail? I'm envisioning a third world auditorium with hundreds of people wearing headsets, transcribing voicemails. Anyone know how it really works? | |
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| iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Golden, CO | Re: Visual Voicemail? Probably some of 'em work that way. Google's stuff is all done by machine. | |
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Weatherman
join:2004-12-04
Bel Air, MD
| Vonage I was a Vonage customer for over 6 years. Their service was wonderful - and I have nothing bad to say about them at all. I never once had to call their support team because there were never any problems. Unfortunately, they are being hit on all angles - mainly from the bundles from ISPs.
That is great that they are offering more for your money now. I have no use for International calling - but it is still a nice feature.
It was difficult for me to leave Vonage - but the savings that I can get from using my new VoIP provider (Ooma) is just too great to pass up. Ooma's also has fantastic service, great support, and features - and you can't beat the price! I think Ooma premier is well worth the $8 a month ($99 a year) - and have (2) lines. Where else can you get 2 lines for $99 a year?
I have no complaints with them at all, either. Top notch..
- Mark | |
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mwmcclure
@sprintlink.net
| Re: GV = VoIP ?????? said by FLengineer :Am I missing something here??? GV is a VoIP provider now? I have GV and nowhere do I see that they are a VoIP provider. Now they do work well with Gizmo which has been around for a long time. I guess I'm just missing something cause I don't see how GV is a threat to Vonage. You aren't missing anything. Google Voice has no current offering to deliver a call using their service. They can forward to any number of existing lines but they aren't offering that "last mile" service. I can imagine that they would offer a VoIP service down the road, but GV isn't there yet.
On Cable Bundles... as it stands today, there isn't a Cable provider out there making money. Vonage actually turned a profit last quarter. The whole voice industry still has a lot of shaking out to do and the wireless providers are likely to own the world. Voice will be just another application on the network, not a pay service. | |
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Eat Me
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ | Too expensive for me Vonage needs a plan for light users like me.
I can't justify $24.99/month (plus taxes and fees) because I don't use more than 100-200 minutes per month.
The international plan also has only countries I mostly don't call. | |
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See 6 replies to this post |
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miball111
@verizon.net | Cheaper Voice Options I have T-Mobile voice for home, it is only $10 a month, it is the cheapest voice plan | |
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nixen
Rockin' the Boxen
Premium
join:2002-10-04
Alexandria, VA
·Cox HSI
·Speakeasy
| Not That It Helps Me Now I was travelling back and forth to Germany, earlier this year. Vonage's brocures had said that there was "unlimited free calling to Europe*" (or words to that effect). At any rate, there was the critical "*" to contend with. At the time, it was actually only five countries in Europe and, naturally, Germany wasn't one of them.
Oh well, it got me and the wife using Skype (might have used Google's video chat, but wasn't really conscious of its existence, at the time).
Since that trip, I've simply been waiting for my Vonage obligation to end so I could either dial back my account to the "maintenance" level, or otherwise move my number. I got Vonage, in the first place, because they were a cheaper option for having a rarely used home line.
Guess we'll see whether doing the "free" upgrade obligates me further, or not.
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The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. -- Bertrand Russell | |
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whizkid3
Premium,MVM
join:2002-02-21
Queens, NY
·Earthlink Cable Mo..
| Vonage I've been a vonage user for over five years now.
In that time, I have never once had a problem with what has been flawless service. Not a single phone call. I make a lot of international calls, using WDT, which is extremely cheap. I will enable Vonage World now, and save even more money.
FYI - Vonage offers an $18.95 per month plan that is limited to 5000 minutes for those seeking it. (Not dramatically cheap, but worth it to some.) | |
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IanR
join:2001-03-22
Madison, NJ | Makes a mockery of Packet8 P8, or whatever their official name is now, recently raised their 40 countries international (+ USA) plan from $30 to $40 p.m. LOL. It would seem that Vonage want to pick uip all those customers. Good move IMHO. | |
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Denis98344
join:2004-08-13
San Diego, CA | not really around the world more than 60 countries and ukraine is not included well that sucks | |
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maartena
Stacked.
Premium
join:2002-05-10
Orange, CA
·RoadRunner Cable
| Re: not really around the world Well.... you can call a large number of countries around the world. But most of those countries probably have their infrastructure to the outside world, AND may not charge other countries obscene amounts of money to allow for free calling.
Since you can call a land-locked, impoverished country like Zambia on the plan, I would think that it is the Ukrainian telecommunications operators that are the limiting factor. Zambia telecom may simply charge a lot less for calls, thus making it easy to add to a world plan here in the U.S.
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"I reject your reality and substitute my own!" | |
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kieranmullen
Premium
join:2005-12-12
Portland, OR
clubs: | International Packages = Broadvoice.com I believe that Broadvoice.com has had packages similar for 2-3 years now.
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KieranMullen »360oregon.com
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maartena
Stacked.
Premium
join:2002-05-10
Orange, CA
·RoadRunner Cable
| I just switched my plan. I had the standard Residential plan + the $6 a month "World Basic" plan which included about 15 countries or so, inlcluding the one I call the most.
This plan is cheaper in total, and also includes a country that I don't call that often but my wife does sometimes....
This great. This will save me about $6 a month from the get-go, and no more per minute charges for the other country we call.
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"I reject your reality and substitute my own!" | |
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maartena
Stacked.
Premium
join:2002-05-10
Orange, CA | Re: Do current $24.99 subscribers get upgraded automatically? I called and got switched. They even prorated me like $1.47 because I had already paid the world basic plan ahead to the 28th.
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"I reject your reality and substitute my own!" | |
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whizkid3
Premium,MVM
join:2002-02-21
Queens, NY | No you don't have to call them. Simply go online add visual voicemail. Then you can change plans to the world plan. All on-line. | |
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johnsmith
@fejk.se
| Vonage VV users beware Vonage uses Nuances vm2text www.nuance.com/vm2text/ for conversion of speech to text. However nuance gets their voicemails manually transcribed from a bunch of transcriptionists located at a facility in Bangalore, India. Does vonage customers know about this? If not then this is a gross violation of privacy for vonage customers since everytime they leave a voicemail its going to be heard by call center agents in India and this could cause a severe breach of private information because any sensitive information like bank account number, SSN number, etc. could be accessed by them. I feel Vonage should keep their customers informed that they are sending the messages to India to get them transcribed. | |
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| wildboar
join:2005-11-07
Commerce City, CO
| Re: Vonage VV users beware said by johnsmith :
Vonage uses Nuances vm2text www.nuance.com/vm2text/ for conversion of speech to text. However nuance gets their voicemails manually transcribed from a bunch of transcriptionists located at a facility in Bangalore, India. Yeah I figured as much. Way back when they gave me a free trial of the VV, some of the transcribed messages that were from people with heavy accents in northern Minnesota were pretty funny. | |
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Vonage Unveils New World Plan, Visual Voicemail
