Vonage Offers Crisp, Clear Internet Telephony

LAS VEGAS -- An Internet phone package making its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show here may have overcome the echoes, fragmented conversation, and dropped calls that have stifled popularity of voice-over IP service.

Vonage is unveiling here at CES its DigitalVoice package. The combo package includes a calling plan with reasonably competitive long-distance rates along with a Cisco adapter (called a media terminal adaptor) to help you place the calls. All you need is a broadband connection.

You plug your router or broadband modem into the Cisco hardware, a small, flat box, which in turn hooks up to your phone. The service should work with any type of landline phone, according to Vonage representatives.

As soon as you pick up your handset, you hear a familiar dial tone, and you're ready to make calls; no need to tinker with software installation. Everything happens inside the Cisco box with its proprietary Session Initiation Protocol, a new technology designed to handle Internet calls more efficiently.

Verbal Test

I put the service to the test out on the noisy show floor. I placed a few calls--including one to Ireland--and found the quality very impressive. DigitalVoice avoids that hollow sound typical of Internet calls, and the voices at the other end sounded crisp. I nearly forgot I was making calls over the Internet.

Vonage provides quite a few plans to choose from. For $26 monthly, you can sign up at its Web site for the Unlimited Local/Regional Plus Plan, which allows you unlimited local and regional calls (with the region boundaries depending on your area code) and 500 long distance minutes around the country. If you exceed 500 minutes, fees are 3.9 cents per minute--certainly competitive with other long-distance companies.

For an extra $14 monthly, you can make all the calls you want nationwide. Overseas calling rates are also attractive. Some examples: 5 cents per minute to London; 6 cents per minute to Sydney; and 7 cents per minute to Tokyo. You're not charged for the Cisco hardware.

Online Options

You can also use Vonage's Web site to set up your own user account. You can track your incoming and outgoing calls, check your voice mail, and customize call-forwarding options.

Although many people turn increasingly to cell phone service for long-distance calling, frequent callers on landlines may want to take another look--and listen--at Internet calling through this service.

The company doesn't offer a free trial (except on the CES floor), but it offers a 30-day money back guarantee.