$8.33/mo Small Business & Residential VoIP

What’s the best deal in VoIP phone service for residential and small business users? No, it’s not the ones you see advertised on TV. In fact, you’ve probably never heard of this phone company. It’s something of a best kept secret that needs to be shared.

I’m going to tell you how you can get unlimited “free” calls to the US and Canada, plus an hour of free international calling every month, plus a free 2nd line for the astounding price of $8.33 per month. No, you don’t have to plug your phone into your computer to make this work. This is a broadband phone system that works with your router or modem and shares your Internet connection with your computers. The phones will receive calls or let you call out regardless of whether your computer is on or off.

The company you want to know is Phone Power. Their expertise is in Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP communications. They can handle all size businesses, but this special offer is targeted at the vast majority of telephone users. Those are homes, home offices and small businesses that need only a couple of phone lines.

The way this works is by using an ATA or Analog Telephone Adaptor. This is a small box about the size of a wireless router or cable modem that Phone Power leases you for free while you maintain your service. There are two network connections on the back. One you plug into your broadband modem. That’s the WAN connection that hooks to the Internet. From now on, the Internet will do double duty as your phone line as well as your computer line. The second network jack is for your computer or router. In other words the ATA sits between your modem and computer equipment so it can maintain voice quality with both phones and computers are being used.

There are two regular phone jacks on the back of the ATA. Two? Yes, you can plug two phones into the box and use both of them at the same time. This is a feature you don’t generally get with any phone service. It’s always one line or you pay double for two lines. Phone power gives you two “cloned” lines for the same price. The reason they are called cloned is because both these lines share the same phone number. Both phones will ring with a call comes in. But, you can call out separately and make two independent calls through the magic of VoIP line cloning. Pretty handy in a business office or at home with loquacious teenagers.

By the way, no special phones are need. Use a standard desk phone or cordless phones with multiple handsets and one base station. They all work just fine.

This is unlimited service, right? You bet. You pay a very modest monthly fee for VoIP service and you can call all the numbers in the U.S. or Canada that you like. That’s right, Canada too. Most phone services charge you extra long distance fees for calls across the border. Phone Power also gives you 60 minutes of free international calling per month and has very low international rates for countries not included or if you want to talk more.

Oh, there is one caveat. This is for typical residential and small business users. Call centers are NOT included. If you are running a call center and need an enormous call volume, EnterpriseVoIP.com will take care of your needs. Anything over 5,000 minutes per month will trigger an overage charge of 2 cents per minute by Phone Power.

So how do you get all this for a measly $8.33 per month? It’s a current special offer (may not last) that costs $199.95 per year with a second year included free as a new customer promo. Do the math and you’ll see that you are paying just $8.33/mo for unlimited phone service. Don’t want to prepay for 2 years? OK, there are other plans where you can just pay by the month for a higher, but still bargain, rate.

Does this sound like the right price and the right phone service for you? There are a tremendous number of calling features bundled-in that you would otherwise have to pay extra for with other companies. No contract, no activation fee, no equipment charge, no per minute charges. Plus a 30 day satisfaction guarantee so you can be sure the service works for you with your particular broadband provider. Learn more and order Phone Power Small Business and Residential VoIP service now, while you can get such a fantastic deal.

866 Toll Free Numbers

We’re all familiar with 800 numbers. They were the first numbers we recognized as toll free. But did you know that there are other toll free numbers, too? What about 866? Is that really a toll free prefix?

Indeed it is. But is there a difference between 800 and 866 as far as toll free operation is considered? No, they work exactly the same. Just as 202 and 302 are toll number prefixes assigned to different locations, 800 and 866 are toll free numbers used nationwide.

That’s one difference between toll prefixes and toll free prefixes. Toll prefixes are used to designed numbers in a particular area. That’s why they are called area codes. Area code 202 is assigned to Washington, DC. Area code 302 is assigned to the entire state of Delaware.

The toll free number prefixes 800 and 866 do not have a geographical assignment. You can call an 800 or 866 number from anywhere in the country and you’ll reach your destination. You just may not know where, geographically, the number is being answered.

It should be noted that the idea of associating area codes with the physical location of the assigned telephone is going away with landlines being replaced by cell phones and VoIP or broadband phone. Neither wireless or broadband users are tethered to a particular location by a copper wire. In fact, some VoIP providers let you pick your desired area code regardless of where you happen to reside. That’s especially valuable when most of your calls come from a particular regional area. Calls from an area code to the same area code don’t pay interstate long distance charges. If your phone has a New York City area code, it will work like any other NYC local phone, even if you pick up the calls in San Francisco.

Toll free numbers take this concept to the next level. When someone dials a toll free number, they don’t pay for the toll charges regardless of where they are calling from or where the call is picked up. Please note that most toll free numbers are US only. You have make special arrangements to get an International toll free number.

Now let’s look at what happens on the receiving end of the call. If you are the owner of the toll free number, you’ll pay the cost of any calls you receive. Fortunately, with an inexpensive toll free service that cost will be minimal. What you get in return is a caller who is much more likely to dial your number than if they knew they had to pay long distance charges. This is a powerful incentive for call-in orders and customer service. In fact, customers have come to expect a toll free number and may balk at dealing with companies that don’t offer one.

Are toll free numbers really affordable by smaller businesses? Absolutely. You can get an 866 number assigned to you for just $2 and pay just $2 a month to maintain service. That service includes your exclusive use of the number, forwarding to any working phone including a cell phone, voice mail, plus FAX reception that forwards to your email. The cost of the calls is just 6.9 cents per minute for the continuous 48 US states. Calls from Alaska and Hawaii cost a bit extra.

For the same price as an 866 toll free number, you can also get one with the prefix 877 or 888. They work just the same as 866. You can also get an 800 number for the slightly higher fee of $5 plus $5 per month service fee and the same 6.9 cents per minute rate.

Is your business losing business because you don’t have a toll free number yet? Perhaps you should give toll free service a try. There are no contracts involved. You pay via credit card from month to month. Learn more about low cost toll free numbers and get yours ready to use right now.

Note: Photo of telephone keypad courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

Add International Capability To Your Cell Phone

The move from landlines to wireless phones is picking up steam. That offers an opportunity for mobile professionals to always be able to connect with prospects, customers and suppliers. One limitation, though, is that cell phone plans tend to exclude international calls or impose rates that make international long distance service impractical. Is there a solution?

There is a terrific solution in the form of a third party add-on service that integrates seamlessly with whatever cellular service you have now. Technically, it’s called international dial-around. You are not changing providers. Instead, you use the dial-around service to literally “dial around” your current cellular service when you need to make overseas calls from the US and Canada.

TEL3Advantage is a leader in the international dial-around space. Take one look at the per minute rates to the destination of your choice and you’ll see why. Let’s just choose to call China, for instance. The Flex Plan rate is 1.32 cents per minute. You read that correctly. It’s cheaper to call your contacts in China using Tel3Advantage than it is to call another city with most landline long distance services. Actually, this service will work just as well from a landline as a cell phone, so it makes sense to get Tel3Advantage and use it from all your phones.

By the way, you can call China for 30 days at just a penny a minute using the special Promo Plan when you sign up for Tel3Advantage service. Compare quality and service with your current long distance service or the calling cards you get at the convenience store. You’ll be so impressed by the calling rates, connection quality and customer service that you’ll gladly continue after the 30 day introductory period is over.

Give it a fair test. The stated rates are impressive enough. But note that there are no hidden fees involved like you run into with prepaid calling cards. Did you know that you almost never get the stated rate from a calling card? There are connection fees, inactivity fees and so on that reduce the number of actual minutes you get for your dollar. The true rate is often several times what’s printed on the face of the card when you actually start making calls. With Tel3Advantage you’ll pay the stated per-minute rates. You only get charged extra for calls from a payphone, if you can even find one anymore, or if you call from Alaska, Hawaii or US territories beyond the 48 continuous states.

Also note that your cellular provider will probably charge you minutes for the time spent calling through Tel3Advantage unless you are making calls during the free nights or weekends provision of your plan. That’s probably not important for most users, since you are paying for a bundle of minutes per month anyway. It can be a consideration for pre-paid cellular plans. Even so, just where are you going to get cheaper international rates even including the per minute charges of a pre-paid cell plan?

So, how does this service actually work? It’s pretty easy. You dial a local or toll free access number to reach the Tel3Advantage platform. Then you dial the international number you want to reach. There are no long PIN numbers to remember. You register your phone numbers with Tel3 and the system recognizes your phone when you call. You can avoid even dialing the access number yourself by downloading a TEL3App for your iPhone or smartphone. Then it’s no harder to make an international call than to place a call to a business across town.

Do you have a need to make low cost international calls from a landline phone, a cell phone or both? If so, learn more, compare rates and check out additional free minute offers for TEL3Advantage International Calling Service.

Note: Globe image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.