I have a Tesco Internet Phone - can I switch to Vonage?

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Our expert says...

Dear Tara, yes I’m afraid that Tesco’s internet phone service is being shelved, and all customers with the Tesco Internet Phone and Talk Wi-Fi products will have to get their home phone from another provider.

If you are in this situation, you have two options:

1. Sign-up with a traditional home phone supplier
2. Sign-up with another internet phone supplier.

If you decide you want to sign-up to a traditional home phone supplier, such as BT (www.bt.com) or TalkTalk (www.talktalk.co.uk), you should read our guide to switching your home phone provider. The switching process is simple though you may have to pay a reconnection fee, depending on the provider and package you choose.

On the other hand however, if you wish to carry on using an internet phone service, you will need to switch to a VoIP supplier, like Vonage (www.vonage.co.uk) or Skype.

Below is more information on internet phone services, the benefits and disadvantages of VoIP and what’s on offer from Vonage.

What is VoIP?

Internet phone services are more commonly known as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) systems. There are a number of providers in the UK that offer VoIP, including Vonage (www.vonage.co.uk), Skype and BT.

Put simply, VoIP is an internet phone technology that lets customers use their existing broadband connection to make and receive calls. In the last few years there has been a huge take up of VoIP, and many consumers and businesses have replaced their traditional landlines with internet phone services, as a cost-cutting measure.

There are loads of ways to use VoIP, such as PC to PC with Skype; or phone to phone via your broadband router with Vonage. And contrary to popular belief, you don’t even have to use a special headset to make calls - you can use traditional phones or a wide choice of VoIP equipment.

Should I use VoIP?

If you’re considering getting a VoIP service, or switching from one provider to another, you should be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of internet phone systems:

Advantages of VoIP

• Make significantly cheaper calls, including free international calls with some providers and packages
• Many providers offer free VoIP to VoIP calls
• Line quality is improving, and it is becoming harder to tell the difference between a standard call and a VoIP call
• You’ll still have a geographical number that people can use to call you
• You can still make and receive calls
• You can use VoIP as a reliable second phone line
• VoIP is great for businesses making lots of internal calls.

Disadvantages of VoIP

• Call quality can sometimes be poor, depending on the provider you are using and the location you are calling
• You may have to pay for a special VoIP adapter - while costs aren’t too expensive, you will have to purchase an adapter before using a traditional handset.

For more information, read our guides to VoIP equipment and VoIP phone providers.

VoIP from Vonage

Vonage (www.vonage.co.uk) is one of the UK’s biggest VoIP providers, offering a range of call plans designed to suit everyone’s needs. Whether you’re looking for a package to use as your main phone line, a second phone line or something for your business, take a look at some of the call plans below to see if there’s one that can help reduce your costs.

Vonage’s VoIP service works just like a traditional phone service, in that you use your existing handset to make phone calls from your home phone to other landlines or mobiles.

The only difference is that your phone is plugged into a Vonage adapter which is connected to your existing broadband router or modem. Unlike other internet phone companies, the people you call don’t need either Vonage or broadband to receive calls from you, and your PC does not need to be switched on either. For a simple guide see how Vonage works, watch the video on the right.

And for more information, read our Vonage provider guide and Vonage sign-up FAQs.

Other VoIP providers

There are a number of other VoIP providers in the UK, including Skype. People using Skype can make free PC to PC calls to other Skype users anywhere in the world, as well as make video calls, send instant messages and share files. And if you want to replace your traditional phone service with Skype, you can pay a monthly subscription to make calls to landlines and mobiles around the world.

Alternatively, both BT and Orange (www.orange.co.uk) offer VoIP minutes as part of their broadband packages, and their routers are both VoIP compatible.

I hope this helps you switch from Tesco Internet Phone to another VoIP provider Tara. Take a look at all of Vonage’s call packages and find one that suits you.

Ask us a question

If you have a general switching or provider query please email us at ourexpert@homephonechoices.co.uk