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Top Seven Questions You Should Ask About Internet Telephones
Pages: 1, 2, 3

6. Can I leverage the expanding number of wireless hotspot connections in public places to make phone calls through my broadband phone service with a portable phone?

Yes, you can. Internet telephony providers usually include a softphone option, which means they have an application that runs on your laptop computer and handles dialing and receiving phone calls. You'll need some way to talk to your computer (or PDA, in some cases), such as a headset, but you can do this today.



New phones now reaching the market include dual-service capabilities. They will work over wireless internet connections when available, and fall back to a cellular service provider when necessary. Experts promise great improvements in wireless calling convenience, allowing one phone to provide service whether the call is a broadband phone call or a cellular phone call.

7. Am I giving up more of my privacy with an internet telephone provider than with my traditional telephone service?

It depends on what you consider the most important personal privacy issue. Your traditional telephone company installer ties your phone line wires to a physical address, so they know exactly where you are. Internet telephony providers often ship hardware for connecting your existing phone to your broadband service, but they don't physically verify that you install the equipment at your shipping address. In addition, your broadband phone works on any broadband connection, and some users carry their phone and connecting equipment to multiple locations.

While your traditional telephone company knows your physical address, they don't ask for a credit card number, which every broadband phone service provider demands to provide service. Do you protect more privacy by hiding your address or your credit card number? The first locates you physically, but the second opens the door to your financial history. Different people have different sensitivities, and you may prefer to hide your credit card more than your address, while your neighbor may prefer the opposite.

Privacy issues are one of the reasons given by internet telephony providers as a reason to avoid mandatory 911 registration. Several providers contend that some users do not want their fixed location tracked for inclusion in the 911 address databases. These users wish to opt out of the 911 system, and the broadband phone providers allow this measure in the name of privacy.

Is this a legitimate plea for individual privacy, or an excuse by broadband phone providers who haven't done enough to protect their customers? As a society, should we demand every adult enroll in the 911 address database as a precondition to receiving home telephone service, or can individual adults opt out of the program? This is just one of the many 911 issues that will be kicked around over the next two years.

Summary

Broadband phones can replace at least 90 percent of all traditional telephone service requirements today. For many users, internet telephony will give them 100 percent of their traditional telephone service, including 911 calls. For a few users with multiple telephone extensions and media equipment that needs a telephone line for installation and service details, a broadband phone will require configuration beyond the normal plug-and-play nature of most installations.

That said, millions the world over are converting to broadband phone service for cost savings, new features, and control over their telephone service. If they must do a little tweaking and change the way they handle extensions or their home alarm systems, the cost savings have been too high to ignore, and they're adjusting their way into the new world of internet telephony.

James E. Gaskin has been solving computer and network problems for businesses small and large since 1984. He writes books, articles, and jokes about technology and real life. In 16 books and hundreds of articles, network consultant Gaskin tells people faster, cheaper, newer, and smarter ways to connect to each other and the world. He also maintains the site for his newest book, Talk Is Cheap.

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