Whether you are a business person, or just struggling to keep your family's budget balanced, saving money is one of the top priorities across the board in these times of recession. Finding ways of save a few pounds per month is welcome, whether it is buying the bargain cereal or using recycled, generic printer paper at the office. For both the family and the business person, one of the biggest monthly expenses is telecommunications and comparing the best deals should be high on the agenda for the prudent shopper.

The traditional phone companies are expensive and if an alternative method could be found that replaces the usual simply and cheaply, we would be well advised at least to investigate.

Part of the reason for the cost is the fact that as more customers use their circuitry and services, the more of these are needed. Demand for service eclipses available service at times, so more is added and the cost is passed on to the customer.

Businesses can use anywhere from two to a hundred and two lines depending on their size, which just begs for system bottlenecks and crashes. Of course, the cell phone ended some of that issue for many families and businesses, but could not be counted on to work in every area. Dropped calls during Aunt Tilly's latest diatribe are one thing; dropping a call during an important teleconferencing call is another altogether.

The Internet took some of the heat off the phone companies by providing email and web surfing capabilities, and now they can give customers back more of the right to choose and the best price there is for phone service: free. That's right, voice over IP service can offer free long distance calls.

With a few changes in equipment and some software (usually available for free) you could be making clear, fast calls. The VOIP service providers usually have some of the same features that you are used to with the traditional phone company, and like the phone company charge a nominal fee for the extras, but you still come out ahead in the long run. Also some VOIP systems are able to use your existing handsets and boast that the quality of phone call is just as clear if not better.

Many companies already use VOIP when they outsource their telecommunications needs to other countries- for these international, long distance calls, voice over IP may be the only way to go. The only requirement for voice over IP service is broadband internet service and the proper type of phone and you are up and running. The service, equipment and software is easy to install and to use, even for the techno-phobic among us, keeping training costs at a minimum as well.