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VOIPTopics: Internet, Telephones If you have broadband Internet access in Tokyo, another option that can save a lot of money for you (and your family in the US if you have them) is to sign up for VOIP (Voice Over IP) service with a US VOIP provider like Vonage or Sunrocket (You need a US credit card for them to bill it to I believe). With Vonage and Sunrocket you get a US phone number and a small adapter that plugs into your broadband Internet connection. A regular phone then plugs into the adapter. You pick up the phone and you get a US dial-tone. With Vonage, for US$27/month we have a US phone number (NJ area code) that rings in Tokyo, and we get unlimited minutes each month back to anywhere in the US/Canada. We typically talk for 1200-1500 minutes per month, which would cost us over US$100 even using the cheapest calling cards. We live near Meguro Station, have NTT Flets as our ADSL provider and we haven't had any issues with Vonage. The area code we picked in NJ is local to both our families so they can just pick up the phone and dial a local NJ number to reach us, no hassles. It has helped us keep in touch with our families and save both them and us lot of money. I have no experience with Skype but other people tell me it is good too. Perhaps someone else could post their experiences with using Skype in Japan. BobK << Use Your Library | Index | Warm Feet >> |