Two out of five American families (for Italy I don't know this data) have disconnected their home phones and rely exclusively on cell phones to make calls and stay in touch with the world. In the USA, however, cell phone rates are much lower than those of Italian operators so, at least from an economic point of view, there seems to be no convenience.
Instead, what can become advantageous is the transition from a fixed telephone line to a VOIP one, using only the ADSL connection at home.
In practice, you only pay a subscription to have internet at home and, through this, you use services such as Skype and others to make calls.
Calls can be made from the computer, tablet, smartphone or, much more conveniently, from a classic cordless phone that supports VOIP.
The VOIP phone connects to the internet autonomously using the home wifi router and is already configured to make calls and receive calls.
An important choice is therefore to be made, if a normal fixed line or a VOIP line is more convenient .
In this article we see the advantages and disadvantages of the two solutions trying to understand when one or the other is better.
The main advantage of having a fixed telephone line is the fact that it is both easy to install and to activate.
The phone does not require configurations, attaches to the socket and works normally both for making calls and for receiving calls.
At the same time, it is only necessary to sign a contract with Telecom, Fastweb, Infostrada or other operators to immediately have a telephone line that is available throughout Italy even where the internet still does not arrive.
It is also often given away by internet subscriptions, especially if you choose as a Telecom operator which always includes a landline telephone line (even if calls are not included).
A VOIP line, on the other hand, can still sound like something unreliable for many less informed people, something that doesn't work or that in any case you wouldn't know how to activate and how to use.
In reality, VOIP today is really simple to configure, but requires you to find instructions and information on the internet since there is no advertising on TV and it is difficult to talk about it.
The main advantage of VOIP, on the other hand, is a clear reduction in costs.
The only thing you need are any ADSL Flat connection at home that serves to surf the internet, a wifi router and a VOIP phone.
You can buy a VOIP phone, with prices ranging from 30 to 60 Euros, on Amazon (do not take the Skype one).
You must then register with a VOIP telephony service (free of charge) and configure the phone according to the operator parameters.
Skype is the most popular VOIP service available on PC, tablet and smartphone to call and video call other Skype users for free and the rates to call local or international numbers.
We have seen, in another article, how to use Skype as a phone to call and receive (Although Skype does not provide a landline number)
Speaking of VOIP costs, generally these services (at least the non-business ones) do not have unlimited subscriptions, but they charge the call service according to consumption, as is the case for mobile phones (but with much lower prices if you call telephone numbers fixed).
It is obvious therefore that, by paying according to consumption, it will depend on how much a person actually uses or would use the telephone because if one calls often to make long calls it is obvious that convenience disappears.
On the other hand, international calls almost always agree and have much lower prices than those of telephone operators.
With a VOIP phone you can also get a local landline number with the prefix 06, 02 etc.
We have seen, in another article, how to register a free Italian landline number with Messagenet to be called at home or on a mobile phone.
Alternatively there are also other VOIP operators on the Italian market such as ehiweb.
The possibility of being able to receive phone calls on your smartphone (by calling the landline number) is another great advantage, to be always available.
The only constraint, however, is that the mobile phone must always be connected to the internet, which is not always possible, especially if you travel abroad.
Speaking of reliability, the advantage of the fixed line is undeniable, even if the VOIP technology has evolved a lot and allows you to make clear and trouble-free calls.
As far as security is concerned, I would say that there are not many differences: it is possible to intercept conversations both with a normal telephone and with a VOIP telephone.
In summary then: the landline is recommended for those who use their home phone a lot, for those who make long calls and for those who do not have, by choice, an ADSL flat internet connection (ie without limitations).
Conversely, a VOIP line is more convenient if you have an internet only subscription (see the best, most convenient, fastest and most reliable home ADSL internet offers), for those who have an internet connection without a telephone line (see ADSL internet offers without Telecom and connection telephone line), for those who want to save money, do not make many calls from the landline and need a telephone especially to receive calls on a fixed number.
READ ALSO: VOIP Phone App to call low cost from smartphones and tablets
