After a long wait, the broadband service bundle has emerged into a welcoming, but hotly contested marketplace, with different solutions vying for the immediate attention of consumers and their money. These services are grouped into a package that includes both phone services and a high speed Internet connection, all for one low price. Offerings include the packaging of all TV, telephone and other services in a single bill. Usually this consumer service bundle is sold for a single price based on the customer's selected bandwidth capacity and number of access lines.

If you choose to go with a service bundle offered by Time Warner Cable or AT & T, be sure to compare the VoIP (or Voice Over Internet Protocol) portion to that provided by the several major companies in the market. There are a few chosen ones that specifically stand out and are worth a look; one being Vonage. This company is well-known for being a market force and leading provider of telephone services in the world, and are particularly now known for their involvement with VoIP technology.

The award winning technology utilized by Vonage enables the general consumer around the world to be able to make and receive calls from almost anywhere that a high speed Internet connection is available. Vonage is known for offering feature-rich and cost-effective communication services that provide users an experience that highly rivals landline telephone services.

Another company offering VoIP is Verizon, a stiff competitor on the communications industry. Verizon offers the VoiceWing option which gives you the power to track your calls, check voicemail online and many more features.

VoIP providers can offer amazing international rates, unlimited nationwide calling packages, choice of area codes, various calling features, voicemail access via the Internet, and the ability to control just about any feature with the Personal Account Manager.

There are some disadvantages to the consumer of having broadband services being sold together. You cannot choose the digital TV service separately: the television, landline phone, and broadband bundle is compulsory and subject to a 12 month minimum term with stiff cancellation penalties.

These are some interesting notes on service providers:

Point Topic projects that in the medium term an IP telephony service will be expected by consumers from their broadband operators in the same way a TV and broadband bundle is expected from cable operators.

Roadrunner is growing well while the AOL bundle is no longer actively marketed, and is losing customers.

Covad, TalkSwitch Team on SMB Communications Package companies say the voice and high speed access bundle is affordable and easy for SMBs (Small to Medium Businesses) to install. Just the same way a TV and broadband bundle is expected from cable operators.

The No Limits-Broadband bundle is marketed to residential customers at a price that varies slightly by location.

Carphone's cheap voice bundle is certainly a major step forward, comparable to the way in which Freeserve introduced the Internet to the masses.

A Toucan broadband bundle is one of the may be an excellent deal for you if you want to switch both Internet and home phone suppliers.