Traditional home phone packages bundled with a broadband plan are becoming a thing of the past, but what’s the alternative?
With lots of people preferring to swap out their traditional landlines for mobile phones, having a physical landline in your house is a pretty uncommon occurrence. Enter the realm of Voice over Internet Protocol – or VoIP for short.
On this page:
What is VoIP?
Voice over internet protocol, referred to as VoIP, is a process for making calls over the internet as opposed to through regular landline or mobile networks. There are both paid and free VoIP options and you may even already be using the technology without realising it!
How does VoIP work?
VoIP simply works by converting analogue voice calls into little packets of data. VoIP basically means you’re using the internet to make phone calls, and your voice is transformed into little packets of data that are then deciphered on the other end. This is similar to using a multitude of other things over the internet – email, instant messages etc.
With Voiceover IP, you can still call a landline or mobile phone, but you’ll be using your internet connection to do so, rather than a phone line connection. This can represent a solid alternative and can work out to be fairly cost-effective.
VoIP has emerged as a popular alternative to a copper home phone line amid the rollout of high-speed fixed-line broadband, WiFi and mobile 4G and 5G, along with the rapid adoption of the smartphone. High-speed internet access is virtually wherever we go and has enabled a whole new communications boom.
- Landline telephones have been left in the dust: With VoIP, users plug their phone connection into their modem, bypassing a direct copper home phone line.
- New NBN connections also commonly prefer the use of VoIP as the country moves away from copper connections.
- VoIP can be cost effective: Many internet providers charge for ‘home phone line rental’, which is basically paying for the privilege to access and have an active copper home phone line in your home.
- VoIP bypasses this need by plugging directly into a compatible WiFi modem.
We’ve established that VoIP has a strong foothold in the future of home phone calling in Australia, but how much data does it actually use, and will it limit internet speeds in any way?
How much data does VoIP use?
Perhaps the best thing about VoIP is that, unlike many other things used over the internet, it does not require a lot of data or particularly fast internet speeds.
- A single phone call requires download and upload speeds of only 100Kbps, with 3Mbps a second now recommended. Given a lot of providers these days boast 20Mbps download speeds with 1Mbps upload speeds on ADSL2+, bandwidth for VoIP is usually not an issue.
- As far as data used, 13 megabytes per hour tends to be about the norm. Given that most broadband plans are unlimited these days, this is likely not a major issue, unless you have a data-limited plan
- This low data use is also good for mobile phone data connections as many plans nowadays boast over 1GB in data inclusions. This begs a question: could you forego calls and texts, and just base everything entirely on the internet?
The communications landscape is fundamentally changing, with VoIP services allowing Australians to communicate both at home and on the move. Evidently, the humble fixed landline has been politely told to vacate the premises. So with VoIP appearing to be a solid alternative, what services are out there, and what can you expect to pay?
Australia’s Top VoIP Home Phone Internet Plans
With the NBN nearing completion, most ISPs currently provide VoIP plans as an alternative to fixed-line telephone plans, with consumers able to use their regular home phone to access these services. The following is a selection of some of the top ISPs offering VoIP plans. Keep in mind that all NBN services use VoIP for home phone connections, as it’s what the technology allows.
Aussie Broadband VoIP Plans
Aussie Broadband is a popular ISP, and offers a wide range of NBN speeds, which can each have a VoIP service stacked on top of them for a small additional fee. Aussie Broadband offers PAYG plans as a baseline for all NBN plans for $0, although you can pay an additional fee for either an Everday or International Calls bundle.
Below you can find a snapshot of Aussie Broadband plans from our database. listed in order of cost from lowest to highest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a wider range of providers. These are products with links to a referral partner.
Flip VoIP Plan
Flip offers a range of NBN speeds, along with three VoIP packs to add on to your NBN plan. The Basic call pack costs extra each month but you’ll still need to pay call rates. The other packs will cost more each month but with certain call allowances included.
The below table features a selection of published Flip NBN plans from Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost from lowest to highest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a wider range of providers.
iiNet VoIP Plans
iiNet offers its VoIP service with its range of residential NBN plans. You can choose between three call packs to add on to your NBN plan, with different inclusions and pricing available across these packs. Adding a call pack on to your NBN plan will cost extra each month.
The below table features a selection of published iiNet NBN plans from Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost from lowest to highest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a wider range of providers. These are products with links to a referral partner.
iPrimus VoIP Plans
iPrimus’ range includes two VoIP plans, which can be purchased on top of its broadband plans. The more expensive of the two includes some international call inclusions.
The below table features a selection of published iPrimus NBN plans from Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost from lowest to highest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a wider range of providers.
Southern Phone VoIP Plans
Southern Phone offers a range of NBN speed plans with the option to add on a VoIP service for an additional monthly cost. If you make calls overseas, you’ll need to pay extra with call rates differing between countries.
The below table features a selection of published Southern Phone NBN plans from Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost from lowest to highest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a wider range of providers. These are products with links to a referral partner.
Tangerine VoIP Plans
Tangerine offers one home phone add on for an additional $10 per month, which can be added on to your choice of NBN speed tier, with plans starting with NBN 25 speeds and going up to NBN 2000. Keep in mind that international calls are disabled by default and you’ll need to request for this service to be enabled.
The below table features a selection of published Tangerine NBN plans from Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost from lowest to highest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a wider range of providers. These are products with links to a referral partner.
TPG VoIP Plans
TPG is one of the most popular NBN providers, offering a range of NBN plans across several speed tiers from NBN 12 up to NBN 1000 speeds. Every TPG NBN plan comes the option to add on a call pack, with a choice between three call packs. If you want international call inclusions, you’ll need to add on the most expensive of the three packs.
The below table features a selection of published TPG NBN plans from Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of cost from lowest to highest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a wider range of providers.
Optus VoIP Plans
Optus also offers VoIP phone plans to add on to your choice of NBN speed plan. This call pack costs extra on top of your plan fees, and if you want international calls, you’ll need to add on an extra call pack.
Telstra VoIP Plans
Telstra offers VoIP plans as a part of its NBN offerings. Australia’s most popular telco offers several different NBN speeds, with a call pack bundled into every NBN plan at no added cost.
Where can I get free VoIP?
A range of free (and a combination of both paid and free) VoIP services have emerged amid the high-speed broadband and mobile connectivity boom and are now well-established in the market. Referred to as over-the-top (OTT) services – being delivered over the user’s network service, but not directly from their ISP – these services encompass a combination of functions in addition to voice calling, including video calling, along with text and picture messaging. Among some of the bigger and better known services are:
- Zoom
- Skype
- Messenger (Facebook)
- FaceTime
- Viber
- Discord
All you need with these services is a data or internet connection, and away you go. These apps are available via both desktop and mobile devices, across the Windows, Android and iOS platforms. Such services typically allow users to communicate with each other for free within the application, yet cannot be used to contact mobile and fixed line numbers, and in this regard are limited when compared to the paid VoIP services on offer from ISPs.
However, it should be noted that some free services also offer paid functionality, charging users to make calls to mobile or fixed line numbers and operating in a similar manner to paid VoIP services. Indeed, in the case of Messenger, you have the choice to put all your mobile phone contacts into the app and text from the app. It uses data, and not your text credit. This is done by sending text as MMS, instead of SMS. However, text MMS likely does not use much data.
It should also be noted that while these services are free, users will need to pay for the broadband used to deliver them. While many of these texting functions do not use much data, the fact is they employ a lot of multimedia tools that can eat up data. So, keep track of how much data you are using!
These free VoIP services do have their limitations, so it can be worthwhile looking into paid services as well to get the most immersive VoIP experience.
Paid vs Free VoIP: What’s best?
For people in the market for a paid VoIP plan, keep in mind that these services often come with a broadband plan. It may well be worthwhile consolidating your broadband and VoIP needs as one. While you may not be able to rely exclusively on free services, you should certainly explore your options and tailor any paid VoIP plan accordingly. The free VoIP services mentioned earlier seem to work best as an option when you’re out and about, while the paid VoIP services through broadband providers work best at home as a replacement to your home phone.
Certainly, a paid VoIP plan provides further flexibility when used in conjunction with other services, and amid a variety of options, it may well be a case of mixing and matching your various free and paid services.
Share this article