Its always been AT&T and the Bell Companies. They have been in control for a very long time. They have been able to decide what you pay for telephone service and what you pay for long distance. Just like TV took advertisers away from radio, the Internet is taking phone service away from the old monopolies like AT&T and Bell.

The phone company giants are trembling. They are filing court cases. Their lawyers are working overtime trying to stop the tide of people who are switching from traditional telephone service to VOIP. When the giants are scared, you know we are onto something big.

What is VOIP? Voice Over Internet Protocol. According to http://www.shiftnetworks.com/glossary.cfm Voice over Internet Protocol is the technology used to transmit voice conversations over a data network using the Internet Protocol. Such data network may be the Internet or a corporate Intranet.

http://www.novacon.com/faq_s-z.htm has a better explanation. (Voice over Internet Protocol) - A category of hardware and software that enables people to use the Internet as the transmission medium for telephone calls. Voice data is sent in packets using rather than by traditional POTS circuits. One advantage of VoIP is that the telephone calls over the Internet do not incur a surcharge beyond what the user is paying for Internet access, much in the same way that the user doesn't pay for sending individual e-mails over the Internet.

That is the explanation that is getting many people to switch to VOIP. You pay for Internet access. You send all the email you want to even though the US postal service had wanted to control it and charge you money for each email. That didnt happen. The fact that the Internets definition is International Network keeps the US Postal Service from having any control over it.

The big phone companies would like to be able to charge for every phone call made using VOIP, but again, they do not control it. Dont count them out. They are trying. However, history shows if you try to control or get in the way to block progress, you lose in the long run.

VOIP is here to stay. You can make calls over VOIP without telephone charges and most of all without the normal FCC taxes you see on your telephone bill each month. There are VOIP services available for $20 per month out there that include your normal phone service and all of your Long Distance.

If I use VOIP, who can I call? According to one vendors website, Anyone and everyone! Any local phone, mobile phone, long distance, or international number if a number can be dialed, you can call it with voip. And if you have domestic long distance included, you can say goodbye to your long distance bill as well.

Internet phone service or VOIP replaces your existing phone service much the way cellphones have for many people. Most of these Internet based services provide you a lot of features, like voicemail, call waiting, and three-way calling, at no extra charge. They provide free local and long distance calling. And unlike cellphones, its not just free on the third rainy Saturday of the month between 3am and 3:45am.

I am comparing some of the services for myself as I write this article. I just saw one plan for $15.95 per month with unlimited calling. No long distance fees to add on, no activation fee if you sign up for a one or two year plan. I like VOIP already, but I am a shrewd customer. I am going to keep looking.

You should do the same. Start looking through the Internet for VOIP services. Compare plans. See what they have to offer. Make the best deal for yourself and your family. But no matter which plan you choose, VOIP is the future of telephone and long distance services.