Who knows when Skype Out will ever be available in Canada now that Microsoft has bought them out. Vonage seems to be the Canadian VoIP heavyweight and your ISP may have some VoIP solutions but most often, they can be quite pricey, contract heavy and not as technologically integrated and innovative. There are not a lot of credible options out there….until now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxm6cHc8z9g

Try out Dell Voice via Fongo (based out of the Waterloo region in Ontario). They pretty much have the same services as Vonage but has Skype-like functions where you can just install their application on your mobile phone and computer. From there, you get competitive long distance calling rates and unlimited texting, which can potentially end up saving you money. The best part….you not only can keep your Canadian phone number but also easily get a brand new one as well.

I just signed up and the phone number porting process wasn’t too bad (there is a $25 admin processing fee). This option is not for everyone and it all depends on your telecommunications needs. I just needed to keep my Canadian number and just have a second voicemail box that I can access anywhere for free. I just found out that Fongo offers phone adapters so you can plug in your land phone to your Internet network and have a landline for $5 bucks a month (good-bye Vonage?).

Not sure why Dell Voice acts like the middle-man for Fongo, but so far Fongo is working out pretty well.