VoIP is here
Posted: 16 June 2006
 VoIP works. No doubt about it.
The only real decision to make is which company provides the best deal. And like early ISPs there are a plethora of providers out there offering cheap calls.
For the last few weeks I have been testing a TA612V Netgear Smart Internet Phone Adapter with VoIP provided by BBPGlobal.
The good thing about BBPGlobal is that users are not tied into a contract.
It’s a prepaid system, and once you register your account is credited with the equivalent of 500 free minutes.
Installation was a breeze. The TA612V connected to my ADSL modem easily enough. Registering the unit on the BBPGlobal web site was the difficult part.
The test unit had been lent out to another user who had registered the unit, so I was unable to register on the BBPGlobal web site.
A BBPGlobal support person was very helpful. However, the previous registration could not be cancelled or changed.
They did tell me that who ever registered it had not used any of the 500 free minutes.
Well, I wasn’t about to let them go to waste.
I plugged my Telstra phone into the unit and discovered it worked — very well. The dial tone was different, but I had no trouble making local and international calls. The TA612V has 2 phone ports.
Unfortunately I was not able to see how BBPGlobal’s online service really operates. Parts of the web site are only accessible to registered users.
Registered users also get a special number allowing them to receive calls over the system.
BBPGlobal are well worth considering when it comes to choosing a VoIP provider. Call rates are listed on the BBPGlobal web site (including mobiles) for all countries. And calls are billed in 1 second increments.
VoIP calls are cheap, but don’t forget the hidden costs. The price of the phone adapter, an ADSL connection, and of course Telstra’s line rental.
There are certainly savings to be made. But if you just want cheap phone calls it’s hard to beat a simple phone card.
Read more: http://www.bbpglobal.com.au/
Posted by Richard Price, Editor EnergyME.com
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