This year the market for VoIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol has heated up. With VOIP, speech is compressed and turned into data which is then transmitted via the internet to the party you wish to speak with, much like mp3 music. Cable companies offer VoIP lines, but usually you will only be able to get them if you have their cable modem service.

Telecommunications companies have been developing and making changes to VoIP since its introduction approximately ten years ago. No matter where you are calling -- or how often -- there is a Voip service that is right for you. There are VoIP telephone providers that will charge you a one time fee and there are others that charge a monthly fee, but some providers do not charge you anything to use them.

Internet telephony is a category of hardware and software that enables people to use the Internet as the transmission medium for telephone calls.

VoIP creates a phone system that eliminates many problems. Virtual Office allows users anywhere in the world to group multiple Packet8 VoIP lines into a virtual business telephone system that includes a host of PBX features.

VOIP eliminates the need for having separate lines for your Internet connection and dedicated voice transfer lines. If you have a reasonable quality Internet connection you can get your phone service delivered to you through your Internet connection instead of from your local phone company. The low cost in processing VOIP data has meant that there are now growing number Voip service providers who can compete with the large Telco's. VOIP service providers usually offer lower rates than the traditional phone companies, but sometimes don't offer additional services, such as 911, etc.