So I read in the news today that Vonage is filing for an IPO to raise $250 million. I think this is really cool since I just started using their services and I’m quite pleased that they’ll have some money to keep operating (their subscriber aquisition costs have caused them to remain unprofitable). For those of you that don’t know, Vonage is a Voice over IP (VoIP) service that lets you get phone service over your broadband connection (cable modem, DSL, etc.). What’s nice about the service is the flexibility and many features that come bundled.
Flexible: When you sign up for Vonage you have the option of moving your existing phone number over from current phone service, similar to how you can do it with cell phones now. While I’ve read some nightmare stories on how long this can take for some people, it only took mine 2 weeks to transfer (the transfer also automatically cancels that old line). The service is also flexible because you can take your phone number anywhere you go. I haven’t tried this yet, but supposedly you can just take the phone adaptor (which goes between your phone and your router) to anywhere with a broadband connection and receive phone calls there. This flexibility is nice for us since we are in two different locations. You can also opt to get a wifi-phone that will let you make and receive phone calls anywhere there is wifi.
Features: With some of the features, you might not even need the flexibility to move your phone adaptor around. You can have calls forwarded or have multiple numbers ring simultaneously, or you can just track all your missed calls through the web interface. You can also have your voicemail emailed to you or you can check it online as well. So much fun stuff – I wish I got more phone calls on that line 
. You also get things like caller ID with name, 3-way calling, unlimited domestic long distance, call waiting, etc.
By now I probably sound like a walking advertisement. I’ll close by letting you know that if you’re interested in the service, you should email me so I can refer you. You’ll get the 1st month free and I’ll get 2 months free! 
- JC
(I said I would contribute at some point…..)
Hey, is this a hint to what your product is???????
haha, nope not at all. it’s just a service I use. good try though!
Are there other good phone services that allow you to make local, long-distance or international calls for a discount or a low price, whether it be over the internet or using a traditional phone and a calling card?
I’ve heard skype is quite good service. You can do free calling anywhere PC-to-PC. If you want to do it a phone line there’s a small fee. There are also other VoIP services like SunRocket, but I haven’t heard too many comments about them.
It took me a year to get the courage to make the jump to Vonage.
I’ve been with them a year and I will never, ever, ever, ever go back to ma-bell and her strangle-hold on my telephone. (i’m not bitter)
Aside from some intermittent problems with faxing over the line with my HP All-in-one and voice quality when I’m doing massive uploads/downloads, I’ve been pretty happy with the service too. I’m especially happy the phone number transfer occured quickly and smoothly.
[...] The event was held at The Gramercy, a narrow, modern lounge in downtown Chicago that was far too small to accomodate such a massive turnout. Who knew that it was so easy to assemble 400+ motivated and enthusiastic entrepreneurs around the Chicago area? I’m sure some of the enthusiasm (ours included) was due to the open bar, which ended up being extended on the spot by the founder of Vonage. [...]