Buyers Guide: Cellular and VoIP

BUYER'S GUIDE:Cellular and VoIP

BY MICHAEL ANTONIAK

More for less

Four years ago Tanisha Irvin took a bold step, placing her at the vanguard of a movement redrawing the telecommunications landscape. The salesperson with Century 21 Home Team in Birmingham, Ala., unplugged her wired phone, joining a growing legion of Americans for whom a cell phone is their only phone.

“I’m spending less for phone service and haven’t had a problem making or receiving calls,” she says. Her monthly bill is less than $175 for two phones—one for business, the other for family and friends.

Irvin could forgo a landline because Verizon Wireless provides blanket coverage throughout her area. Even where seamless cell service isn’t available, enterprising practitioners and companies are severing ties with their local telco by combining cellular with new telecommunications services called VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) or Internet telephony.

“I use cellular on the road and VoIP at home,” says Brian Henrichs, E-PRO®, a salesperson with Koenig & Strey GMAC in Wheaton, Ill. He subscribes to an unlimited long-distance plan from AT&T’s CallVantage VoIP service for $29.95 monthly. “The price attracts you. Then you see the convenience,” he says. VoIP gives him features unavailable from the local phone company: a browser-based call management center; “find me” features to forward incoming calls; and voice and e-mail message prompts.

VoIP uses the Internet, software, and a broadband connection to move a conversation. With most services, a telephone adapter or special VoIP phone plugs into a broadband modem, then converts sound into data for transmission over the Internet. To users, the process is transparent.

So far VoIP has escaped federal regulation, exempting it from taxes and surcharges that add to the cost of landline services. But it’s versatility that makes VoIP so attractive to practitioners such as Stephen McWilliam, ABR®, GRI, president/broker of Florida State Realty Group in Ft. Lauderdale. As Hurricane Wilma approached in late October, McWilliam unplugged his VoIP handset, temporarily relocated to Orlando, and plugged it into a broadband connection there. “Even though phone service was down in Fort Lauderdale, people calling from outside the area could reach me as if nothing happened,” he reports. “I didn’t miss one call.”

Joseph Hildebrand, GRI, SRES, an associate with Metro Brokers Realty Oasis in Englewood, Colo., says the biggest advantage to disconnecting the landline “is more closed deals. If we can get to the phone, we can do business.”

Getting what you want from VoIP

As a new class of service, Internet telephony entails entirely new considerations.

Broadband. If you’re still connecting to the Web via dial-up, VoIP isn’t an option.
Call patterns. Is it unlimited long distance that matters most? Or do you need a plan that eliminates or reduces the cost of incoming calls?
Phone numbers. Can you keep your old number? Ask about virtual numbers. These give you a “presence” in other area codes and let callers there dial a local number to reach you.
Emergencies. 911 systems that use caller ID to pinpoint your location may not work with VoIP. Ask vendors how you can reach 911 dispatchers in an emergency. For information about emergency service rules affecting VoIP providers, visit www.voip911.gov.
Softphone. Add a microphone and speakers or a headset and VoIP software applications to convert your PDA or PC into a phone when needed.
Faxing. Find out if the VoIP service supports faxing, if you’ll need a separate fax line, or if you must subscribe to an Internet faxing service.
Savings. Compare monthly subscription rates, length of contract, the cost of hardware or software, and fax service with the cost of landline services.

CELLULAR SERVICES

A service contract is required for all plans, and hardware costs aren’t reflected in plan pricing.

Cingular Wireless
www.cingular.com,866/429-7222. Local business plans start at $39.99 for 600 minutes of call time; roaming charges apply outside coverage area. Unlimited nights and weekend calling plans start at $59.99. Data Connect plans start at $19.99 for 5MB of data send/receive. Wi-Fi Connect plan to connect to Web with a smart phone via hotspot, $39.99 or less depending on Data Connect plan.
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Sprint Nextel
www.nextel.com/nar,866/647-3929. National Free Incoming Call Plan with unlimited incoming calls starts at $49.99 for 300 outgoing call minutes. Includes unlimited nights and weekend calling and unlimited walkie-talkie service. Blackberry Unlimited Web and E-mail Plan, $49.99 per month plus cost of handheld. Voice calls under Blackberry plan priced at 20 cents per minute.
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T-Mobile
www.t-mobile.com,800/866-2453. Get More Nationwide starts at $39.99 for 600 call minutes with unlimited days and nighttime calling. Blackberry Unlimited plan starts at $29.95 for unlimited Web access and e-mail with voice calls at 20 cents per minute. Sidekick Data plan with unlimited data transfers and text messaging, $29.99.
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Verizon Wireless
www.vzw.com,800/899-4249. PDA/Smartphone Voice and Data Choice Bundle combines voice calling with unlimited data usage for $109.99 per month. Includes 1,350 anytime call minutes, unlimited incoming calls, and free nights and weekends. America’s Choice voice plan, $79.95, includes 1,350 anytime minutes and unlimited incoming, night, and weekend calls.
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U.S. Cellular
www.uscc.com,866/872-4249. Local 400 plans start at $24.95 for 400 anytime minutes; unlimited nights and weekends upgrade, $5.95. National calling plans start at $29.95 for 250 anytime minutes; anytime with unlimited nights and weekends upgrade, $5.95. Easyedge data plan available in some areas.
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VoIP SERVICES
You may require special hardware or software. Note: Some providers don’t offer a customer service contact number, so sales inquiries must be submitted online.

CallVantage AT&T
www.callvantage.com,866/816-3815. $19.99 for unlimited local calling; $29.99 per month for unlimited local and long distance; $49.99 for two-line plan with unlimited local and 500 long-distance minutes. All plans include voice mail, call logging, find me, and speed-dial functions. Two-line plan adds conference calling, message record and send, and call filtering features.
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TotalTalk America Online
www.totaltalk.com,877/265-7732. $18.99 for unlimited local calls and
3.9 cents per minute for long distance; $29.99 for unlimited local and long distance. Plans include soft phone software for making and receiving calls on a PC, TotalTalk Dashboard Web-based call management center, voice mail, call alerts when user is online, call forwarding, do not disturb, and call blocking. Circle RS #056

Dialpad Dialpad Communications Inc.
www.dialpad.com.Contact company through e-mail form on Web site. Discounted long-distance services include dialpadmonthly300 plan: $7.50 per month for 300 minutes and 2.5 cents per minute over limit for calls in U.S. and Canada. Dialpadmonthly 500 plan: $9.99 for 500 minutes of call time and 2 cents per minute over limit.
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Packet8 8x8 Inc.
www.packet8.com.Contact company through Web site. Virtual Office expandable VoIP solution for the small office with prices ranging from $9.95 to $39.95 per extension depending on service plan. Minimum of three extensions required. Additional fees for activation and equipment. Package includes automated call center, unlimited calling within U.S. and Canada, auto attendant, conferencing, voice mail to e-mail function, and Web-based call management. Circle RS #058

STS EVOlution STS Telecom
www.ststelecom.com.Contact company through Web site. Scalable VoIP-based PBX solution for multi-user/multiline office. Pricing based on number of lines, system features, and hardware requirements. Includes Web-based call management center, call integration with Microsoft Outlook, and unified messaging.
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ViaTalk HostRocket.com Inc.
www.viatalk.com,866/626-7150. VTb Unlimited business plan for
U.S. and Canada, $35.95 monthly. International long-distance plans also available. All plans include voice mail, caller ID, call waiting, and call return.
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VoicePulse VoicePulse Inc.
www.voicepulse.com,732/339-5100. Business Unlimited plan for unlimited local and long-distance calling, $45.99 per month. Includes caller ID, call waiting with caller ID, three-way calling, six-way call conferencing, distinctive ringing, find-me function, call blocking, call forwarding, and soft phone option.
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Vonage Vonage Inc.
www.vonage.com,866/243-4357. Small Business Unlimited Plan for unlimited calling in U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico and a dedicated fax line, $49.99 per month. Includes voice mail, call logging, caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, call return, and find-me features.
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