One of the emerging communications technologies that is constantly improving and gaining in popularity with consumers is VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol. This technology essentially allows you to make telephone calls over the Internet using either your own telephone or your computer without the use of a local telephone company.

Perhaps one of the most important benefits of VoIP telephone calling is its low cost, often saving consumers anywhere from $30 - $50 a month or more on their telephone bill. Most unlimited calling plans start somewhere around $25 a month, and they allow you to call anyone in the country whenever you like, for as long as you like. If you really want to economize even further, you can also get VoIP calling plans that have a limited number of minutes for as little as $15 or $20 a month.

Obviously, if you do a lot of long-distance telephone calling, this can add up to some serious savings over the course of a year. And if you happen to make very many international calls, you'll also find significant savings in this area as well. Although international calls are not usually covered by the unlimited calling plans, the per minute rates that are charged by most VoIP providers are extremely reasonable, as low as even $.10 to $.15 a minute. And if you shop carefully enough, you can even find some providers that offer unlimited calling internationally only among their own subscribers. This could be very useful for family members who happen to live in different countries.

Another way that VoIP technology can save you money is if you happen to travel a lot. Frequent travelers can take their VoIP adapter with them on the trip and connect it to a high-speed internet terminal, allowing them to place telephone calls from their VoIP number no matter where they may be located. This can often save quite a bit of money over having to place long-distance calls from hotels or public telephones, and it can save precious minutes on your cell phone bill.

One other way that you can save money by using VoiP technology for internet telephone calls is that most VoIP providers bundle services such as voice mail, three-way calling, and so on, in with your regular VoIP plan at no extra charge. Quite often, you'll have to pay extra to get these kind of features when using a land line telephone company instead.

Finally, an added benefit of a VoIP service plan is that it is usually free of most of the taxes and regulatory fees that often accompany your monthly bill from a telephone company. Of course, that may change in the future, but for now it is savings that can be realized.

As you can see, there are quite a few ways that you can save money using VoIP technology to make internet telephone calls.

Steadman Issenburg writes on many consumer related topics including communication. You can find att voip and computer telephony software and more by visiting our communication website.