Military personnel deployed overseas will find nothing more welcoming than hearing their loved ones’ voice on the other line of the telephone. It can be costly and time-consuming to make calls from other parts of the world. One Internet telephone company offers military personnel two months of free service, and a router for free.
Holmdel-based Vonage in N.J. -; A leading provider of broadband phone services with 2.4 Million subscriber lines –; started offering the free service on May, Military Appreciation Day.
VoIP is an Internet telephone service that connects your phone over the Internet. It uses a broadband connection with a modem. The adapter plugs into your modem to translate the electrical pulses from your phone into IP packets which travel over the Internet. This service works with any home telephone that uses a standard telephone line. The calls sound almost like they are being made from a traditional landline phone.
The majority of Internet phone companies offer a wide range of features. Vonage’s services include caller ID with caller’s name, voicemail, call forwarding and waitlist.
Vonage lets you take your phone anywhere that has broadband internet, and it will still work as your home number. Vonage offers the option to have more than one phone and an area code. You can also set up a prepaid account. “virtual number”-; a secondary Vonage number, which can be tied to your main Vonage lines and that can have any available area codes. This means that your friends and family can call you at the same price as a local call, if they choose a virtual number within their area code.
However, many people find the cost of Internet phone service to be more appealing than its features. Most companies offer unlimited local, long-distance and international calling. International calls can be significantly less expensive than regular telephone service.
Steven Reents, a Vonage customer and a contract civilian at Illinois National Guard Camp Lincoln, claims that the service has made a significant difference in his telephone bills.
“With unlimited long distance, my children can call their friends no matter where they are, my wife can talk as long as she wants with her family in Chicago and I have peace of mind actually knowing I can afford my phone bill each month,”Reents.
Visit www.vonage.com for more information about Vonage’s Armed Services Promotion. www.vonage.com/armedservices.
