I'm thinking since we'll be calling back home to the US frequently, it probably makes sense to just have a Skype phone. Are there any disadvantages to not having a landline in NZ (Wellington). What are some of the alternatives?
I'm thinking since we'll be calling back home to the US frequently, it probably makes sense to just have a Skype phone. Are there any disadvantages to not having a landline in NZ (Wellington). What are some of the alternatives?
You can get naked home Internet service, but it's barely worth it... Since most providers are DSL anyway, it makes sense to take the phone line.
Though I am not still in NZ but live in another country than my home country and do call my family back home, I have not felt any disadvantage of not having a landline phone and happy with just internet connection with Wifi router.
There are few Voip companies you can register and have a call back to your home country - www.smartvoip.com or www.actionvoip.com
Calls can be made from onces computer or smart phones and have decent quality, surely cheaper than skype phone.
I'm with Vodafone. For $95 a month I have 100gb internet plus a landline, but calls on the landline outside my local area are expensive though you can add five landline numbers as your 'best mates' and call them at no charge, no matter where in NZ. I was using a Kia Ora calling card to call the U.S. at 2.5 cents a minute, but just signed up with an international and national long distance package with Vodafone. ($40 a month - unlimited calls to the U.S. and within NZ) So for about NZ$135 a month, I can skype or call almost anyone, anywhere. I think it is pretty reasonable compared to what I was paying in the U.S.
I bought my Vonage adapter from the US and use this for all the calls there and other countries that are free under one of their plans. We like the fact that people in the US can call us free. I use it for personal and business calls and the cost (about USD $300/yr) seems reasonable to me. Had I wanted to use it just for US/Canada calls and accepted time-limits, the costs would've been less.
I have kept my Skype Premium subscription from Canada. It includes unlimited audio calling to any phones in Canada and the US, plus multi-user video conferencing with other Skype Users. $55 a year, or $4.20 a month. in CA$. It's been my long distance "plan" for about 4 years now and works just as well from NZ as Canada.
But it does require buying it based on my Canada address.