Consumers 'should choose VoIP provider carefully'

Consumers looking to save on phone bills this Christmas should pick VoIP - but they should make sure they select the right VoIP provider, an expert has claimed.

Michael Phillips, product director at BroadbandChoices.co.uk, said that VoIP has the potential to make "massive savings" for people at Christmas.

This is because of the cheap price at which relatives and friends who are abroad can be called - yet only 30 per cent of broadband customers currently use VoIP, according to Mr Phillips.

However, he sounded a warning for people who do plan on using the technology.

"Consumers should choose their VoIP provider carefully because there are dozens of VoIP providers offering overseas calls for next to nothing but call quality, set up costs and connection costs can vary between providers," he said.

A recent article on TMCnet.com claimed that the cheap cost of calling abroad is the "prominent reason" why consumers and businesses have begun using VoIP phones.