Using an Internet Telephone
For people who are still tied to landlines, the idea of using an internet telephone service (ISP) may seem like an alien concept. After all, how different can phone and internet technology is? Many people wonder what they will gain by switching their service provider. Internet telephone service is also referred to as IP telephony. It is a technology that enables you to make and receive telephone calls over the internet, instead of using a telephone line. Although there are many benefits to this type of service, it is important for customers to be aware of the potential pitfalls before committing to it.
One benefit that many consumers enjoy is the fact that internet-telephone service is more cost effective than traditional telephone lines. In other words, long distance charges are eliminated. In addition, the installation process is much simpler, as there is no wiring necessary. And in some areas, there is no need for a telephone line at all. All these savings are passed onto the consumer.
Another benefit is that internet telephone service offers a number of different options for both call rates and features. This is because the internet can deliver any or all of the services that telephone lines provide. For example, it is possible to receive voicemail, video services, caller ID, web conferencing, and web-chat applications. Some providers even provide access to email. This is a rather extensive range of options that will appeal to most consumers.
Still, others are wary of internet phone providers, largely due to the fact that many of them offer VoIP services. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. This type of service is similar to that provided by your home phone company but instead travels through your computer, and utilizes your internet connection instead of traditional telephone lines. This means that calls made from one computer to another will appear as if they were made from your computer to your phone. This is an excellent convenience and internet telephone service is usually quite inexpensive.
One issue that some people have with internet telephone service is that they are considered private. Because many providers charge a low monthly fee, however, it isn’t necessarily a problem. It is important, nevertheless, understand what your responsibilities are to internet telephone companies to use this technology. This includes understanding what your responsibilities are to the internet itself and to the companies providing this service.
To begin, you should know that both you and the internet provider have responsibilities for maintaining the integrity of the communication process. First, internet telephone services should never transmit any confidential information such as credit card numbers over the internet. Second, to ensure that you are not doing so, the company should monitor all transmissions and make certain that no confidential information is being passed along. If it is already being transmitted, the internet provider should stop this activity immediately. As a result, there may be times when you receive an unexpected call, and you will need to identify the caller so you can ask who it was. In addition, in order to ensure that the internet telephone system is properly maintained and operating at 100% capacity, you should consider calling the service provider several times each month to find out if there are any problems that may need your attention.
In addition to these responsibilities, an internet telephone service should also make sure that it has updated equipment which meets or exceeds the current security standards. This means that all devices should have a built-in fraud protection system, a firewall, and should have measures in place to block viruses and other malicious software. Some providers offer virus protection as part of the service, while others may require you to purchase this separately. Either way, you should understand how to protect yourself from harmful internet applications and follow instructions provided by your internet-telephone service provider.
Finally, you should always carefully read the terms of service before signing up for an internet telephone service. While you may not need to worry about this once you start using your internet service, it is never a bad idea to review the agreement before you click “accept” on the dotted line. This will allow you to be provided with the most current information about your billing and any associated fees, as well as to avoid unwanted surprises down the road. By taking some time to learn about how to use an internet telephone, you will have much greater experience using this convenient and useful technological breakthrough.