SmallBizResource Blog -- Networking & Communications

15 Inexpensive VoIP Options

Posted by Gayle Kesten Tuesday, Oct 28, 2008, 02:59 PM ET

I promised my folks I'd never (publicly) knock their limited know-how about technology, so let me say how EXTREMELY IMPRESSED I am that they're using a VoIP service to cut down on their long-distance phone bills.

How to spend less is, of course, on the minds of consumers and businesses alike. Why consider VoIP, which uses the Internet to connect phone calls? According to Inside CRM, which earlier this month put forth 78 ways for small businesses to save money, VoIP has the potential to save as much as 60% versus traditional telecom costs. (My dad estimates his savings will easily be "in the hundreds.")

That tip jibes nicely with a recent compilation of VoIP services -- some free, others not terribly expensive -- from VoIP News. I'll start you out with five, though the entire list -- which includes MagicJack, my parents' VoIP service of choice -- is worth your consideration.

1. Free phone number and inbound calling with Toktumi hosted VoIP: Hosted VoIP provider Toktumi will give you a free inbound phone number with voice mail. Unfortunately, it won't let you choose the area code, much less the number itself. Still, if all you want is to receive calls and listen to voice mail through your PC, you can't beat the price (you also get five minutes of outbound calling for free). If you're willing to spend $14.95 per month, you get your choice of area , unlimited outbound North American calling, and more. You make and answer your calls using either a downloadable softphone with your headset-equipped PC, or through a $29.95 Toktumi adapter for your phone that you connect to your PC with a USB cable.

2. Free hosted IP PBX with Bandwidth.com: Bandwidth.com provides integrated voice and data packages for SMBs. The packages, which it calls BoxSets, come in several bandwidth/phone-line combinations. Recently Bandwidth.com added a perk for users of those BoxSets: free hosted IP PBX service, called Phonebooth, which offers everything from auto attendant to four-digit extensions to simultaneous ringing to conference calling to contact-list management. The savings compared to the monthly $50 or more per seat of typical hosted PBX services can be considerable.

3. Free unified voice mail with Fusion Voicemail Plus: PhoneFusion's. Fusion Voicemail Plus lets you forward unanswered calls from all your phone accounts -- wireline, cellular, VoIP, home or office -- to a single voice mailbox. When someone leaves a message, the service sends a text message to your smartphone. The client software you've loaded onto your handset will display the message as visual voice mail, with the caller ID of the person who left the message, and which of your numbers they called on. You can click to listen, or to reply by calling back or, if it's a mobile number, by sending a text message. The more phone accounts you have, the more time-as-money you'll save. You'll also save the $7.95 per month that traditional carriers typically charge for voice mail on top of basic service. The client software is available for BlackBerry, Linux, Palm, Symbian and Windows Mobile handsets.

4. Free conference calls with Calliflower: There's no need to use a cumbersome, expensive professional conferencing bridge for that sudden, urgent analyst briefing. Just go to the Web site of iotum's Calliflower conferencing service, sign in, and start setting up a call. A Web-based "dashboard" interface lets organizers create calls, invite participants, and manage and record the conference. It also provides attendees with visual information about the call and its participants. Most important, the service is free except for the cost of long-distance calls to the Calliflower number. Participants can save even more money by calling in via Truphone or Skype.

5. Make and receive Skype calls from mobile phones with iSkoot: Internet phone service Skype is the gold standard for saving money on international calls. But for a long time it wasn't easy to make Skype calls from mobile phones. ISkoot is a leader in making that possible. It uses downloaded client software that runs on a broad range of handsets. The software allows users to make and accept calls to and from both Skype users and regular phones. A calls travel from a Skype Internet gateway to the handset over cellular links, and use up both cellular minutes and Skype credits. But they're a lot cheaper than calls using international cellular minutes.

Economy | Mobility | Networking & Communications | Productivity | SmallBizResource | Software