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| Rank | Internet Phone Service | Equipment required; price | Monthly payment plan | 911 service | International call charges | Setup/Ease of use | Voice quality and reliability | Web features | Fax support | Comments |
| 1 | Best Buy AT&T CallVantage (  ) | Centillium, D-Link, or Linksys adapter; $30 (covers activation fee) | Unlimited calls to the U.S. and Canada for $30 | E911 included | From 4 cents/minute (Guam) to $1.51/minute (Wallis and Futuna Islands) | Fair/Excellent | Excellent | Account management, call logs, voice mail | Yes | Excellent call quality, fine collection of features, and a good price. We did have some problems with setup, but AT&T's tech support solved them. |
| 2 | 8x8 Packet8 (  ) | Packet8 BPA 410 adapter; free from Packet8's Web site | Unlimited calls to the U.S. and Canada for $20 after $30 activation fee | E911 for $1.50 per month | From 3 cents/minute (UK) to $12.29/minute (Iridium satellite phone) | Excellent/Good | Excellent | Account management | No | Excellent call quality and low price. Unfortunately, the service lacks fax support and Web-based voice mail, and tech support needs work. |
| 3 | Comcast Digital Voice ( ) | Comcast adapter; leased for $3 per month | Unlimited calls to the U.S. for $55; $45 with one additional Comcast service; $40 with both Comcast Cable and Comcast High-Speed Internet | E911 included | From 5 cents/minute (Canada) to $4.99/minute (Thuraya satellite phone) | Good/Excellent | Good | Voice mail | Yes | Superb call quality, but the service is pricey unless you get it as part of a Comcast bundle. Web features are minimal but more are promised. |
| 4 | Vonage ( ) | Linksys adapter; no charge | Unlimited calls to the U.S. and Canada for $25 per month | E911 in some service areas | From 3 cents/minute (UK) to $13.44/minute (Universal Personal Telecommunications) | Excellent/Good | Good to Fair | Account management, call logs, voice mail | Dedicated line $10/month after $10 activation fee | Good call quality, but occasional garbling and clipped sentences during weeknight calls. One night, repeated efforts to call abroad failed. |
| 5 | Verizon VoiceWing (  ) | Linksys adapter; no charge | Unlimited calls to the U.S. for $35 per month | E911 in some service areas | From 1 cent/minute (Canada) to $18.80/minute (Indian Ocean) | Fair/Good | Good | Account management, call logs, voice mail | Yes | Good call quality with occasional slight echoes. No call problems while Web surfing. Nicely organized Web site. Fax support is a bit clunky. |
| 6 | AOL Internet Phone Service ( ) | Linksys or Netgear adapter; no charge | Unlimited calls to the U.S. and Canada for $40 per month (fee includes charge for AOL service) | E911 included | From 4 cents/minute (Guam) to $19.31/minute (Iridium satellite phone) | Good/Good | Good to Fair | Account management, call logs, voice mail via AOL software | No | Good call quality overall, but occasional garbling and clipped sentences, notably in the evening during long-distance or international calls. |
| 7 | Lingo ( ) | Primus adapter; $10 shipping charge | Unlimited calls to the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe for $20 per month after $30 activation fee | Basic 911 (must upgrade to E911 by FCC deadline) | From 3 cents/minute (UK) to $4.25/minute (Inmarsat satellite network) | Fair/Good | Good to Fair | Account management, call logs | Yes | Good call quality with occasional garbling and clipped sentences. Free calls to Western Europe, but lacks E911--and must provide it soon. |