Broadband Services: Your connection to a fun-filled web experience

Yes, you can now download movie videos. Entire albums of your favourite songs are waiting to be played on your computer. Your photos are waiting to be uploaded, sharer and blogged. There are high definitions wallpapers showing underwater sea life with amazing clarity that you want to download. You want to have a little chit- chat with your grandma sitting by the beach in Australia. Fortunately, technology makes all of this possible- but without a solid, uninterrupted broadband connection, trying all these tech- savvy things end up in a very frustrating experience. This explains why the Office of National Statistics (ONS) revealed over 88% of internet users in the UK opting for broadband connection rather than dial up.

Choosing the right broadband service for your needs is a matter of much importance. There are several factors to consider while making this decision. Does the speed offered by your broadband service provide apt for your needs? If you use the net to surf the web and read news websites, a lower speed might suffice. On the other hand, if the 5 second 'Buffering...' interruptions in video clippings bother you to no end and you still want to watch the video briefing on BBC or CNN, or download songs from iTunes, you might have to look for a connection with high speed data transfer. For loading chat applets, voice or video calling, and using VOIP technology for Internet Phones also requires high speed connectivity. Of course, the price charged by the provider plays a crucial role in your decision. There are limited and unlimited data transfer options available in the market at competitive prices.

There are many broadband service providers in the UK market. While they are competing with each other for market share, some charge a small one-time set up and others do it for free. A connectivity contract has to be signed, which is usually of a one-year duration; some plans require a 1.5 year contract and the usage is usually divided into a few plans: low capacity limit (around 2-5 GB), mid capacity limit (usually 10- 40 GB) and Unlimited download. BT, AOL broadband, UK Online, sky, pipex and plusnet are only some of the broadband services offering great deals. So if your dial up has been driving you crazy, you know you are in the remaining 12% of net users in UK and its time to make your move fast and your internet connection even faster.

Broadband Connection, International Calling Cards and Free Gift Mobile Phone

Internet Phones: Will you take this call?

So what is the buzz about Internet Phones? First it was Bell's harmonic telegraphy which eventually led to land line phones, then car phones, then the stormy advent of mobile phones, and now the world is moving towards calling facilities based on the internet. They are not all that complicated to understand and use. In fact, once you get the hang of what they're all about, they might just become your preferred means of communication.

An Internet Phone uses the technology of VOIP: Voice Over Internet Protocol for transmitting voice signals. VOIP can be used PC-to-Phone (or vice versa) or Phone- to- Phone. Internet Phones digitise your voice and send it over the internet to another phone or a computer through an adapter. Many companies have quickly realized the advantages of this system and have started offering various plans for residential usage as well as business communications.

One among its many advantages is that it offers highly advanced features compared to regular phones, proving useful for both home and corporate use. Caller ID and 3-way Conferencing facilities have become a thing of the past; now you can look forward to Call Recording (for saving sweet memories, reference or proof), Do Not Disturb facility (which forwards your calls directly to Voicemail if you so wish) and Voicemail access over the web- anywhere, anytime. For corporate plans, some services offer the IVR system- or Interactive Voice Response system- which puts large volume of calls in auto queue mode by giving pre-recorded options like “Press 1 for Features, Press 2 for Rates”. In fact, such corporate plans can even replace that very expensive PBX system.

Along with these smart features, the internet-facilitated phones come with much cheaper plan options. VOIP technology has been primarily responsible for the drastic and recent drop in international calling rates. Residential local plans may come as cheap as 5 pounds a month and international calling plans as low as 10 pounds a month! Considering the amount of phone bills you can save, especially if you have family living in other countries or many of your clients are based overseas, the new rage of Internet Phones is a rather tempting.

PDA Phones and Cheap Cordless Phones