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All the above providers got acceptable marks for customer service but Opex Internet Voice scored highest in customer service followed in a close second by MyPhoneCompany. The other providers were all outclassed by the two at the top but customer service from all of them was more the acceptable.
All offered rock bottom rates but Packet8 ranked best for Quality of Service and tied with Lingo for the lowest unlimited rates to the US and Canada.
While edged out for Quality of Service by Packet8, Lingo offered more then acceptable quality and included unlimited calling to the US, Canada and much of Western Europe at the sub 20 dollar price point offering a truly unique pricing and value point. All in all if you call Western Europe go with Lingo if not go with Packet8 as the quality is somewhat better.
For the lowest average international rates iConnectHere blended a top three finish on customer service with the best over all rates available for international users across the board. They also finished at the top for over all call quality and quality of hardware provided to their users.
MyPhoneCompany came up with an excellent rating for service and while not the lowest they did have one unique value point that made them stand out. That was local number availability. For those that really want a local number for inbound calls who live off the beaten path you may pay a bit more to have Canada in your local calling area (24.99 vs. the 19.99 price point of Lingo and Packet8) but if you live in a rural area odds are that MyPhoneCompany will still have a local number available for you. Further if you don't call Canada they offer a plan for unlimited US calling only at the 19.99 price point.
The features race was pretty much a dead heat between most of the providers. Opex however had the most unique features that people would tend to actually use on a regular basis.
Vonage was the only provider that did not come out on top of any given category. While they got exceptional to good ratings in each category no where did the Broad Band Phone Giant come out as the "best". This was not much of a surprise as the biggest companies in any service industry never tend to be the best at any one thing. Instead they focus on being consistent across the board. Vonage was Very Good or better in all the categories save for customer service where they could use the most improvement.
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For clients with high-speed Internet
connections (DSL or Cable Modem) broadband
phone companies provide unlimited calling
options over an Internet connection at
prices lower then any service has ever
offered. High-speed access is required to
use this service but for those with
broadband, unlimited calling plans now start
at 19.95 a month including calls to Canada
along with one provider that includes
unlimited calling to Western Europe at a
price point under
