Word hit the streets this week that AT&T will soon be canceling their VoIP offering CallVantage, leaving many customers without a phone service. After spending the last 48 hours helping many CallVantage customers find suitable VoIP service replacements on Twitter, I though it’d be helpful to create a list of my top VoIP service recommendations.
These VoIP service recommendations are made based on my personal experiences using these services as a primary or secondary residential voice line over the last few years. They are listed in no particular order.
Six VoIP service alternatives for AT&T CallVantage customers
- Skype – You can’t beat the price, feature set and multitude of devices that Skype can be accessed from. With plans starting at under $3 per month for unlimited calling it’s a steal for any CallVantage customer…if they’re okay with being slightly tethered to their PC.
- VoIP.com – You may not have ever heard or VoIP.com, but they offer a quality service at a very attractive price. For just under $200 a year you can talk as much as you want.
- ViaTalk – With no upfront device fees and a free year when you sign-up for one year (at $199), ViaTalk costs less than $10 per month. If you factor in that you get two lines with ViaTalk‘s VT Unlimited plan, you’re actually paying less than $5 per month!
- Vonage – Hate on them all you want, but I’ve never had a problem Vonage. With multiple devices to choose from, polished value added features and a low introductory rate, Vonage is a solid option.
- BroadVoice – The originator of the bring your own device service offering, BroadVoice allows you to bring your own SIP compatible hardware or choose from one of theirs. With six different plans to choose from (including one for video calling), BroadVoice is choice you’ll be happy you made.
- InPhonex – Last, but certainly not least, is Miami based InPhonex. With enough choice in VoIP calling plans to satisfy even the neediest of customers, InPhonex delivers quality services starting at just $14.95 per month.
And since I’m a nice guy, I’ll leave the comments open for those VoIP service providers out there who want to let CallVantage customers know about their VoIP service (and why they should choose them).
Are you rating any of these based on call quality? I was a Voicewing customer (which I know is Delta three under the hood), quality was fairly good over my Comcast cable modem service. I switched to Vonage and the quality has been lousy, it is unsuitable for a business call, even after I spent time on the phone with Vonage tech support tuning the connection. Are any of these better than any others in terms of call quality? how about a residential service coupled with Internet (e.g. Comcast Digital Voice for Comcast Internet customers?)
Try Callcentric at http://www.callcentric.com
Nothing can beat it.
@ me
They’re based on my personal experience using them at home and in my home office. My set-up is fairly basic. Time Warner Cable Internet connection and a Linksys wireless router.
(I do have an alternative “lab” environment, but I separated it from the rest of the house)
I’ve used each service extensively without problems. That means these are the services I’d recommend to friends and family
@ me
And to answer your two last questions:
1. They’ve all been solid. My favorite is Skype, though.
2. The bundled offering from cable co’s is tough to beat. Because they are delivering the Internet connection and the voice service, they are able to do a better job prioritizing packets resulting in a better call quality.
I’ve used Teliax with great success. You can bring your own SIP device, i.e. use a Cisco phone, or a UC520 router with CME, or a Linksys set or use a PC based Softphone. I’ve tested many devices on Teliax’s network.
I’ve used all of them with good call quality and they have been really responsive with support questions. I use the $3/month plan and use it as a back line for conference calls and when I travel and I’ve been happy with it. You get unlimited channels too so you can map 6 lines on your phone and take a couple of calls at once.