Broadband phone has many names; VoIP, IP Telephony, Internet Telephony, Broadband Telephony, Broadband phone, and Voice over Broadband; yet it all essentially means the same thing: internet phone. Companies providing broadband phone service are called providers and protocol used to carry voice signals are referred to as VoIP protocols.

There is some cost savings when you’re using a broadband network and broadband phone service. Occasionally even broadband calls are free! But broadband phone does have its restrictions and its costs, unfortunately.

However there are benefits to using broadband phone. Among these are:

• incoming calls are routed to your broadband phone regardless of where you’re connected. Meaning you can’t make you phone with you on a trip and wherever you can connect to the internet you can get free incoming calls.
  
• free phone numbers in the US, UK, and other countries from groups like VoIP User.
  
• call center agents using VoIP can work anywhere there is a connection
  
• many packages include things like 3
• way, call forwarding, redial, and caller ID

But just like anything with so many positives there are certainly drawbacks to broadband phone. Some of these include:

• Trouble Sending Faxes: there are software and network hurdles to clear if you need to send a fax. You don’t always have time to deal with that nonsense when a boardroom is waiting for your fax. It can make or break a deal
  
• Internet Connection Requirement: Not everywhere has an internet connection. Believe it or not, it’s true. So if you’re out on in a rural area and you need to get a hold of people and there’s no connection, you’re just as good as sunk.
  
• Power Outage: well, in the unlikely event of a power outage; say during a big storm where you’d want to be accounted for by your business and your family, the last thing you need is to be stranded with no phone service! (though new models with external power packs are making this less an issue)
  
• Quality Of Service: some broadband connections have less than ideal level of service. This presents a problem when in unfamiliar territory
  
• 911 Emergency Calls: when you’re call is being placed from a central service station, a 911 call will only get general area maps of where you are rather than your actual physical location.

Other, less pressing but still annoying challenges include:

• delay


• jitter


• echo


• security

While these are all things to be concerned with you shouldn’t let them spoil your broadband phone connection!