How To Maintain A Long Distance Relationhip With An International Phone Card
How often have you heard the comment that long distance relationships don’t work? Well, they may have been tough to maintain at one time, that is, until international phone cards appeared on the scene!
Not only do phone cards cut long distance call rates by up to 90% but I’ve discovered they can be the lifeline in a long distance relationship. Take my example for instance. I was travelling through the USA two years ago and bumped into an old friend called Cupid. He did his usual thing with the bow and arrow and yes, I began a relationship. Trouble was, I lived in Australia and she lived in Georgia. So began my first encounter with an international phone card.
For two years we communicated via the telephone, that is, in between visits, and I can quite honestly say that without being able to take advantage of the cheap call costs, well, our story may have become another one of those Mills And Boon style brief encounters. Not that there’s anything wrong with them, is there?
International Phone Cards Are Easy To Buy
It’s so simple to get set up with a phone card but you do need to observe some well worn rules . Not all phone card companies are created equal. During their history, phone card sellers have been a “dime a dozen”; here one day and gone tomorrow and yes, their has been the odd scam or two perpetrated by them. Today however, the industry has undergone some radical changes and there are some terrific phone card providers out there and they are determined to stick around for the long term.
Some Traps To Avoid
There are some danger signs to take notice of before and after purchasing your card. Here is a short list:
- Be wary of poor customer service. I always like to know I can contact a company direct if something goes wrong. If you intend on being a long term user, then make sure you can communicate with them by phone…naturally!
- Establish whether there are hidden fees involved. These can be a real nuisance with some companies and what looked a super cheap deal when you purchased, could quickly deteriorate into a pretty ordinary one.
- Make sure you know exactly how much talk time you are getting. Check a company’s disclaimer policy.
My biggest piece of advice is that when you find a company that satifies all your needs, stick with it. Show some loyalty and avoid jumping from one sweet deal to another. In most cases, legitimate phone card companies who are here for the long haul will offer some type of loyalty program or incentive to stay with them.
Finally, ask for printed phone records. In most cases these will be supplied on demand. In some countries, a statutory declaration may be required.
Dean Caporella is a professional broadcaster. Find out why many people are enjoying the cost
benefits of an international
phone card along with phone card related news and reviews
at:http://www.phonecardsinter.com
Bored of Your Phone Bills Try VoIP at Home or Business
Do you think that your phone bills are too big? Are you tired of big sums which you are to pay monthly for landline and long distance calls? Do you want your costly phone calls to become cheap phone calls? Then this article is for you. Here I’ll tell you about IP-telephony which is also known as VoIP, IP phone, Internet Telephony or Broadband Phone.
As communication plays such a great role in our lives that we can hardly imagine them without cell-phones, faxes, regular mail services, emails and of course telephones, it’s very important that our talks don’t cost us too much. We are so busy, that sometimes don’t have enough time to meet our friends. And sometimes when we even have time, our friends are far away from us. The cheapest and the easiest to use services like chats, ICQ, and forums, but they can’t substitute personal touch provided by phone and his alternative - IP phone.
So, what is VoIP? Generally, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a system for transmitting voice over Internet, converting information from analog to the digital form when it comes across the network and then back to analog when it arrives to the receiver. Thus, VoIP is a modern technology used for making telephone calls via Internet. Using VoIP you can also send fax, not only voice through the Internet. Everyone who has a computer, which is connected to the Internet can use VoIP.
One of the main advantages of internet phone is that its users pay only for their usual Internet connection and fabulously small fee for phone calls. The other advantage is that with IP telephony you can communicate with every location on the Earth where the computer connected to the Internet is. Also, this kind of communication is pretty cost-effective, so you can use cheap pc to phone call worldwide. VoIP telephony can integrate with other services available over the Internet, including data files exchange, messages or video conversations.
To use VOIP you can:
a) Use a special digital phone;
b) Plug headphone with microphone to your computer;
c) Plug ordinary phone into a special adaptor or USB port.
Just connect PC to phone and enjoy all advantages of IP telephony.
There is a huge amount of internet phone services’ providers. Providers of VoIP services have powerful servers, network and internet channels. Many of them don’t provide service VoIP free of charge but still different free messenger programs based on VoIP technology such as Google Talk, Windows Messenger, Skype, Xlite and others are available.
Broadband phone may become a very useful thing if you travel a lot. It will save your money, ’cause it is much more cost-effective than cell-phone and even than traditional long distance phone through PSTN. Broadband Phone has become a major service for travellers and migrant workers. Just connect your PC to the Internet, and you can make and receive phone calls. And critical point is, you can bring your local phone number with you, yes, it is portable.
Using business VoIP services you do not only save your money but also a company’s money. Business VoIP offers a lot of benefits, but cost far less for your company. Using IP telephony you can connect your office PBX to VoIP provider and decrease cost of company’s calls dramatically. Using VoIP for business purposes may positively affect your career; VoIP is a useful tool for business communications and when you are in a business trip, your partners don’t need to know the number of your hotel’s phone ’cause they can call on your IP phone’s number. Wherever you travel, to China or Zimbabwe, with VoIP phone you don’t depend on local phone service, just be sure you are attached to the Internet.
VoIP is a kind of prepaid phone usually, so if you use IP telephony not thought the Internet but with the regular phone, you can make a local call, then insert your pin number and make long distance call for pennies at the expense of your prepaid account.
So, Voice-over-Internet-Protocol is a cost-effective, unbelievable flexible and handy way of communication. Try it and you’ll not be disappointed. Don’t waste your money on traditional landlines. Let’s VoIP.
If you are confused by some abbreviations or shorts in this article, feel free to visit VoIP glossary - http://www.callsend.net/glossary/
Kevin Whales is VoIP industry expert, author of articles about Internet telephony for newbies. Brand new VoIP website is IP phone information
Tags: broadband, business voip, internet phone, IP Phone, voice over internet, voip, voip provid, voip technologyWhat Is Internet Telephonys
When the Internet is used for communications by voice, facsimile, or video conferencing the process is called Internet telephony. Known as voice over the Internet VoI or voice over IP, VoIP, in this system, sound is converted into digital packets that are then transmitted over the internet to the receiver where it is once again converted into sound or text.
All one needs is a multimedia computer, a high speed Internet connection, a sound card, speakers, and a microphone. Since it reduces telecommunication costs significantly, many individuals and businesses are adopting this system. The charges of internet telephony are not dependant on the distance but just a flat fixed rate for use of bandwidth. The only thing is that both you and the person you are calling will need to have the same or compatible software.
First introduced in 1995 the PC-to-PC telephony is set to grow from US$ 1.96 billion in 2003 to US$9.08 billion in 2007. Industry experts predict that over half the phone traffic in the world will be based on IP protocol.
To use the VoIP system, all you need is a regular phone, an adapter, broadband Internet service, and a subscription to a VoIP service. All your offices on a LAN or WAN can benefit from a common phone system with extension dialing, seamless call transfers, voice mail, caller ID, conference calls, music-on-hold, free phone calls, as well as ability to transfer data.
Even while making or receiving calls, you can surf the web or use other web based applications. You will also be able to retain your existing PSTN phone number if the provider you use has this facility. A VoIP provider is a telecommunications company that will handle the technical aspects of the calls and provide the interconnection between VoIP and PSTN networks. Internal calls are transmitted as data on your company network while external calls are transmitted through the network to a gateway which in turn connects to a public telephone network.
The advantages of Internet telephony are numerous the first being cost effectiveness. With a high speed internet connection phone calls can be made all over the world for almost free. By signing up with a VoIP provider you can get unlimited calls within the country at very low costs. The system is portable and you can take the headset or internet phone along with you when traveling. When plugged in to an internet connection anywhere in the world you can both make and receive calls at no extra costs. Wonderful features like call waiting, call forwarding, voice mail, caller ID, and three -way calling are all included with the Internet telephone connection at no extra cost.
The system is flexible and you will be able to send documents as well as pictures over the system while you are talking on the phone. The problems you are likely to encounter are: inability to call emergency services, loss of service during power outages, problems with clarity of sound, and scrambling of data. These are however being addressed on a war footing and problems small or big should be ironed out quickly.
VoIP is all set to be the industry standard for telephone communication in the future and is all set to change communications forever.
Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for http://www.1866Voip.com, the premier website to find help on Voip including topics on online voip, voip phone, voip service providers, voip solutions, business voip, internet telephony voip and more. He also freelances for the premier Ringtones site http://www.1888Ringtones.com.
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