cable phone service ?

Edwards Finance > Phones

Q. what does everyone think about cable phone service and should i get it?, i dont like how its not always on like our land lines are , but then again that's why they cost more .

A. VOIP is MUCH cheaper than PSTN phone service. The quality has been almost indistinguishable from my PSTN service - as good or better than cell phone. You can get phone numbers in about any are code you want, including toll free numbers. You can have the same inexpensive phone service anywhere you have a broadband connection. Switching to VOIP tends to require a lot of research to see what company offers a plan that will meet your needs. If you want to keep you PSTN number, you have to find a company that can port the number. Porting can be a bit of a hassle. If you don't keep our number, you will need to find a provider that has local numbers in your area. You will need to have a small amount of technical ability to install and configure your phone adapter box. If you want to use your existing wiring and phones in your home, you will also need to be able to disconnect from the PSTN phone system. If you lose power or your broadband connection, you will have no phone service. Most VOIP providers do not offer 911 or E911 service, but that should change soon with FCC mandates to offer 911 service Some people have elected to retain their PSTN service and add VOIP. This can be easily done with the use of phone adapters from companies like Sipura. The easy way to switch to VOIP would be to subscribe to a service offered by your local cable operator like Time Warner's "Digital Phone." This will probably not save you any money however, unless you are a big long-distance user. I agree, but I think I have some ideas. First, people simply don't understand VOIP. TWC never really calls it VOIP, just "digital phone." In that respect they aren't positioning themselves to compete with providers like Lingo and Vonage. I bet then many of the people with "digital phone" have no idea that they have the same phone service that is offered by Vonage. The second thing is technical support. If you have a problem with Vonage, it is your problem. It could be your modem, your router, or your ATA. With TWC, if you have a problem, they come out at no charge and fix it. The average person is accustom to letting the "phone company" take care of all their phone equipment. These consumers don't want to purchase, configure, and maintain a phone system. In fact, I suppose that most people with a broadband connection don't even realize that they can use it for phone service, especially a service not offered by their ISP. Of course, these people pay a big premium for the convenience.

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