Take a look at the ads from any Sunday paper and you'll see many VOIP companies listed.
Companies like Vonage, Packet 8, AT&T, Broadvoice and others have plans where you purchase a box and a monthly subscription. The box goes between your DSL router and your telephone. Now when you pick up the phone to dial, you are using the Internet and not the telephone wires you see on the street.
You can also see these products at Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA and even most office supply stores. SOME SAMPLE rates:
Vonage (www.vonage.com)
International Rates
At Vonage we're saving you money on all of your calls, including outside the US. We have low International rates and do not charge any connection fees. Don't forget calls to Canada and Puerto Rico are considered local.
Australia - Sydney 6128-29 $0.04
Argentina - Buenos Aires 5411 $0.05
Brazil 55 $0.09
Chile 56 $0.06
China - Beijing 8610 $0.06
China - Shanghai 8621 $0.10
Colombia - Bogota 5712-17 $0.08
Germany - Stuttgart 49711 $0.04
Hong Kong 852 $0.03
Hong Kong (Cellular & Premium) 8521, 8526, 8528-29 $0.03
Japan 81 $0.05
Japan (Cellular & Premium) 8120, 8160, 8170, 8180, 8190, 81800-09 $0.17
South Africa - Johannesburg 2711 $0.09
South Africa (Cellular & Premium) 2772-74, 2781-84 $0.23
South Korea - Seoul 822, 8220-26, 8228-29 $0.06
Taiwan - Taipei 8862 $0.06
United Kingdom 44 $0.03
United Kingdom (NGN) 448-49, 4408-09 $0.28
United Kingdom - LCFA 4484, 44845 $0.28
United Kingdom - London 44207-08 $0.03
United Kingdom - NCFA 4487, 44870 $0.28
Uruguay 598 $0.12
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Broadband Phone Service - Residential Plans
Consumers can now enjoy unlimited local and long distance calling by adding Packet8 Broadband Phone Service (VoIP) to their high-speed Internet connections. There are several residential plans from which to choose, starting with Freedom Unlimited.
For consumers who live outside the U.S., the Freedom International plan allows you to have a U.S. phone number and make up 1000 minutes of calling to U.S. and Canadian phone numbers for just $19.95 (US) per month.
South Africa - Cape Town 27-21 $0.08
South Africa - Johannesburg 27-11 $0.08
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Here are a few of the great low per minute rates* you can expect:
MEXICO CITY $0.07 FRANCE $0.05
NEW DELHI $0.16 GERMANY $0.05
PHILIPPINES $0.16 CANADA $0.00
Additional per minute rates for international calls terminating on mobile phones or other wireless devices may apply.
Select a country to see the per-minute rate
SOUTH AFRICA
Rate per minute 0.09 To call a landline number*
0.23 To call a wireless number*
* Calls to Canada and U.S. territories are 4¢/minute for Unlimited Local Plan.
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BROADVOICE
Unlimited World $19.95
Australia , Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway , Singapore , Spain , Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom , United States ,Vatican City
Unlimited World Plus $24.95
(Argentina, Brazil, Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Israel, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, South Korea)
27 South Africa 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.10
27(21) South Africa - Cape Town 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.10
27(11) South Africa - Johannesburg 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.09
57(12-17) Colombia - Bogota 0.06 0.06 0.06 0.06 0.06
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Broadvox Direct
Includes "Virtual number" feature (Choose a city your family lives in back east and create a local phone number for them to call which will ring your telephone)
Australia (Sydney) 0.03
South Africa (Johannesburg) 0.08