A USB internet phone is Graham Bell’s modern day competition. Phone companies have had a monopoly on phone service for many years and they have taken full advantage of this. Consumers have been hankering for the better service and lower prices that competition brings and they have found it in USB internet phones.
A USB internet phone looks exactly like the regular phones that are plugged into the wall. They even have cordless models that can be used while doing other things. The only difference is that the USB internet phones use the internet to make calls instead of the telephone lines provided by the telephone company.
The major advantage of this is the low cost phone service. To use a USB phone to make calls there needs to be soft phone software installed on the computer that will be used. Yahoo and Skype both offer soft phone software with their chat programs. Both providers will let the user pick a phone number from a list that can be used by landline phones to call in for a yearly rate of under $40. Yahoo allows out-going calls for a penny a minute, including calls to many countries. Many other companies offer internet phone services and can be found by doing a quick search.
The major disadvantage is that 911 emergency services are not provided. If the house is burning down or someone has had a heart attack, you have to call the fire department or the hospital directly. Just keep the emergency phone numbers taped to the phone or on speed dial to solve that problem. Another problem relates to the internet speed. Faster internet speeds give better clarity to calls.
USB internet phones are being used to replace costly landlines. 911 Emergency services has adapted to the use of cell phone so it is likely they will find a way to adapt to USB internet phones too. Other issues like clarity take some getting used to, but the exceptionally low cost makes any inconvenience well worth it.