Features and pricing are the two prime considerations in selecting your
VoIP provider and deriving the maximum benefit from the product. With
most VoIP users, all the features available in a particular product
will rarely if ever be used. All leading service providers promise a
range of features that look impressive as a marketing strategy, but
often do not deliver as practical options. “Features” do not always
translate as “benefits.” Pricing is also a relative factor and is
linked to “quality” in the long run. Let us look closely at the
packages offered by three market leaders of today: Skype, Lingo, and
Vonage.
Skype has three basic usages: a PC-to-PC call, which is free voice
communication between two computer users across the world with an
Internet broadband connection; a paid SkypeOut voice call from a Skype
user to a landline/mobile phone; and a paid SkypeIn call from a
landline/mobile phone to a Skype user. For a home requirement of
chatting with family and friends, the Skype PC-to-PC free call delivers
on most promises made on the official Skype website, including voice
quality. If you are not against being “wired” to your computer with
your multimedia speakers and headphone, this free offer is the best
option in this category.
However, if your requirement is for a full-scale voice service that
caters to PC-to-telephone and telephone-to-PC services, you need to
step up to the paid categories. SkypeOut offers a flat global rate of €
0.017 per minute for some of the most popular destinations worldwide,
and has specific rates for other destinations. SkypeIn, which is still
in Beta, makes it possible for your family, friends, and business
acquaintances to reach you from a landline by dialing a number assigned
to you. SkypeIn charges are independent of your location; if you are
assigned a Chicago number but are currently in Japan, the party making
the call only pays for a call to Chicago. If you buy a Skype number—an
annual subscription will cost you € 30 and a quarterly subscription
comes at € 10—you also get Free Skype Voicemail bundled in the package.
Skype’s cost plans are uncomplicated, and making a choice is relatively
simple. Compare this with Lingo’s Home, Office, and International
plans, and the corresponding plans from Vonage:
From this analysis, Lingo emerges as the service that will save you
more on your telephone bill. However, to get more out of your VoIP, you
need to look at the international pricing because that’s where VoIP
scores over a traditional connection. If you make frequent
international calls to Asia, you can take advantage of Lingo’s Asia
package. Lingo’s international rates to individual countries are also
lower than those of Vonage, but higher than Skype. Here is a comparison
of the rates for three destinations:
Skype has the lowest call rates, but is limited in features. At the
other end of the spectrum is Vonage, which offers the most consistent
call quality and delivers on features, but is heavier on your pocket.
Although it loses out on voice quality, Lingo has the features to match
Vonage.
There are a few other features mentioned by both Lingo and Vonage—such
as Anonymous Call Rejection and Do Not Disturb in Lingo, and
Click-2-Call and Call Hunt in Vonage—but these are more in the way of
cosmetic embellishments than utility tools.
The features are many, the utility diverse. To get the most out of your
VoIP provider, you need to place the key factors of pricing and
features at both ends of a see-saw, and weigh them with the cornerstone
of quality—that will position you enticingly in making the right choice
and getting the maximum out of your service provider.
