VoIP technology is quickly becoming one of the most preferred telephone service providers for customers seeking a low-cost and high-quality alternative to traditional phone service.

There is one major issue that many customers have when changing from traditional phone services to a Voice over Internet phone service. There are just too many companies and services to choose from.

The first option to consider when changing over to a VoIP provider is the connection speed that you have available. Most voice over IP providers require a minimum DSL speed to provide quality service. This is due to the fact that the voice signal is traveling over the Internet, requiring relatively fast upload and download speeds on the customer's end to be able to process the calls in real-time.

Generally speaking, having faster bandwidth will ensure a higher quality of any calls that you are making. VoIP from most providers will require a minimum of 38kbps upload speed and 128kbps of download speed.

It is important to know what transfer rates are required by the VoIP provider, as this speed will be an 'overhead' on your internet connection line while making a phone call, limiting other internet connection usage whenever you are making a call.

Price is the next most important consideration when searching for a good voice over IP provider. VoIP services vary greatly, depending on who is offering it. General packages are normally much less expensive than comparable phone company rates, and are typically based on the number of lines that you need.

A much more valuable aspect to VoIP is the inclusion of International Calling. Since the information of the call is being directed through the Internet and not through trans-ocean lines of the phone companies, the prices for these calls are very low. Bundled packages for International Calling can be as low as an additional $5.00 per month with no per-minute calling charges, which is far better than any price package that a traditional phone company can provide. Each VoIP company offers different packages with fairly similar pricing for comparably similar packages.

The next most important thing to look for in a VoIP service is the resilience of the service. Some companies can provide high quality audio and guaranteed uptime that rivals even telephone companies.

However, not all Voice over Internet phone service companies are the same and it is important to research the differences in both call quality and service up-time between the different providers.

Some customers who currently use Fax machines over traditional phone lines may be interested in VoIP services to reduce costs incurred when sending Faxes around the World. First generation VoIP was nearly incapable of transmitting faxes accurately due to the difficulty in transmitting the audio frequencies that fax machines utilize to communicate with one another.

Many services have upgraded the design of their networks to allow for the new T.38 protocol which enables fax machines to 'speak' with one another properly over a voice over IP service. Researching the capabilities of different providers is essential if this is a feature that you are interested in using. Doing a little bit of homework on the different providers and comparing their network capabilities, pricing, and service quality will ensure that you get the most out of a conversion to VoIP that is as seamless as possible.