Skype, while not being a fully functional VOIP Provider has a price you can't beat. Because it lacks e911 and CallerID it will not do as a Land Line replacement , but for only $67.95 a year for an incoming and outgoing unlimited plan it would be a great alternative to paying expensive long distance to your friends in California. The audio quality is decent with little packet loss. Skype works on a peer exchange basis (much like Napster) and has been called a bandwidth hog. But in my testing I haven't noticed any bandwidth loss for my internet usage. You must purchase Skype specific telephony products, because the service does not include equipment.