Anybody who knows anything about Voice over Internet Protocol phone technology knows that there are some great reasons to switch over to this revolutionary technology. The only trouble with it is that it may be difficult to take the first step of signing up for the service. Now two VoIP companies are teaming up to offer free minutes in an effort to entice new customers to sign up. Vocalocity is now offering five hundred free minutes to anyone who buys a VoIP phone made by VoIPSupply. Actually, the offer is only valid with six models that cost between one hundred and thirty five and three hundred dollars. The five hundred minutes come with a number of the features that come included with most VoIP services. These feature include those like conference calling a phone number and all inbound and outbound calling features.

While the idea of providing free minutes may seem like a good one on paper, paying between one hundred and thirty five dollars and three hundred dollars is hardly free. This is especially true considering the fact that Vocalocity is completely compatible with conventional phones. In that sense, this promotion is really only good for individuals and businesses that are planning to sign up for a VoIP service, and need a special phone to go with it, anyway. Of course, one thing that isn't clear is whether or not the VoIPSupply phones are compatible with other Voice over Internet Protocol services than Vocalocity. (It would probably be pretty safe to assume that they are.)

While the idea of offering five hundred free minutes to promote a VoIP service is a good one, it would probably be a lot more effective to take away the condition of buying the phone. While it would have the same overall attraction as the current Vocalocity/VoIPSupply offer to potential customers, those potential customers wouldn't be scared away by having to shell out a minimum of one hundred and thirty five dollars just to try out the service.

The fact is that with all of the features and value offered by VoIP services in general, a lot of people would probably be hooked after trying out five hundred minutes for free. Having to pay so much just to get to the point where they can try out those minutes is likely to just scare people away. Maybe a better way to do it would be to give people the five hundred minutes for use with their own phones, with the understanding that they'll also get a complimentary phone- or at least a steep discount on a phone- if and when they sign up permanently. During the trial period they're sure to be hooked by the fact that long distance minutes are charged at the same flat rate as local calls. The fact that the plans come with call waiting, caller ID, and call forwarding are sure to entice people as well. All of that, along with the fact that most of the account features, and even voice mail messages, can be accessed online, would make signing up permanently a slam dunk sale for most people who appreciate value in technology.