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FreedomVoice vs Grasshopper Phone Number Provider, Service, and Pricing

Phones in the business realm aren’t going away anytime soon; instead, more and more businesses are populating as a result. But, with all of these providers, choosing among them to fit all of your needs is difficult. Additionally, competitive pricing is very important. Two of the top-rated VoIP phone service providers in the nation include Grasshopper and FreedomVoice. But, what are the differences between these two companies? And, which should you choose for your business phone service needs?

Pros of FreedomVoice as a Business Phone Provider

The most notable and highly reviewed aspects of FreedomVoice’s business VoIP service is that it’s easy to use. Since it doesn’t require any additional software, you can purchase the service, install it, and have it running in just a few minutes. Plus, once it is set up, most reviews note that the software application is quite easy to use and operate. Furthermore, you can pick and choose from any additional features you may need. And, set these up before you make your first call, right from your smartphone device. Some of these features include customizable greetings, simultaneous ring, and call transfer.

Cons of FreedomVoice as a Business Phone Provider

While FreedomVoice boasts ease of use, there are some cons to choosing this phone provider for a VoIP phone number. For starters, they don’t offer as many features as other competitors, including the virtual phone numbers from Global Call Forwarding. For example, you can’t send team messages or conduct conference calling from the VoIP numbers through FreedomVoice. Secondly, with this company, there is no ability to merge integrate VoIP lines with business software systems. These are systems that are used every day like your business CRM (Salesforce, Asana, etc.). Finally, with rates starting at $9.95 for one cloud phone number, there are certainly more inexpensive options available.

FreedomVoice vs Grasshopper Phone Number Provider
Source: Depositphotos.com O#S-4820344 ID#204678092

Pros of Grasshopper as a Business Phone Provider

Just like FreedomVoice, Grasshopper is a virtual number provider. Benefits of choosing this company include ease of set up and the ability to add features to business VoIP numbers. This organization also provides the option to include other, additional features. Some of which can make doing business much easier. This increases overall customer satisfaction when it comes to doing business over the phone.

Cons of Grasshopper as a Business Phone Provider

Unlike FreedomVoice, Grasshopper requires you to have an already established business phone system. A multi-line system or a physical VoIP unit are both examples. This means that choosing FreedomVoice for VoIP management could mean having to fork over money to pay for phone units. Would you rather have the ability to make calls from any device you want, including mobile devices? And, not have to purchase brand new equipment just to make these types of calls? If so, Grasshopper is not for you. Finally, with a starting price of $26 a month, even FreedomVoice is cheaper than this option. So, if money is an important issue for your business endeavors, it isn’t the best choice.

A Better Choice: Global Call Forwarding

Still not sure if either FreedomVoice or Grasshopper is right for your business? That’s because there is a better option available! Global Call Forwarding is more competitively priced than both of these competitors. And, it’s just as simple to set up and use and doesn’t require the purchase of additional equipment to start. Finally, it is competitively priced (with the lowest priced plan starting at $7.95 a month).

Choosing Global Call Forwarding for Cloud Telephony Needs

There is a more affordable way to conduct business without the headache. To set up cloud telephony services with Global Call Forwarding, contact us today.

The History of Mobile Phones

Mobile phone technology has progressed significantly since ‘cell phones’ were first invented. The first modern portable handset was invented by Dr. Martin Cooper in 1973. Motorola sought to build a personal telephone that belonged to an individual rather than a home or a desk.

1973 – 1980s – 1G

Dr. Cooper was an engineer and general manager at Motorola at the time he invented the cell phone. The prototype developed by Dr. Cooper weighed almost two and a half pounds and was larger than today’s office phones. In 1973, he placed the first call from a portable phone – to a rival engineer at Bell Labs.

After Dr. Cooper’s revolutionary creation, it took nearly ten years for mobile phones to reach the market. Motorola rolled out the first commercial mobile phone in 1983, the DynaTAC 8000X, costing $3,995. The cost of Motorola’s first phone today would be $9600 after accounting for inflation! Mobile phone technology was relatively underdeveloped at the time, operating on an analogue cellular network.

1990s – Digital Cellular

Consistent with the rapid technological advancements of the 1990s, cellular phone technology improved exponentially. In the 1990s, a 2nd generation of mobile phone systems was created. Two systems vied for global supremacy: the U.S. developed CDMA standard and the European developed GSM standard.

Along with the new ways of transmitting information, cellular phone technology was advancing. Smaller batteries and improved energy-efficiency devices enabled companies to create smaller cell phones. While the brick-sized Motorola DynaTAC 8000 weighed 28 ounces, newer phones in the 90s weighed between 3.5 and 7 ounces.

The 2nd generation of phone systems introduced text messaging and the ability to access web content from mobile phones. Custom ringtones were incredibly popular among mobile phone users. Of course, SMS/text messaging has been a huge success. ‘Texting’ is the preferred medium for communications among millennials. In addition, four out of five people use texting for business communications.

Nokia was a leader in the mobile phone industry during the 1990s. Nokia launched an early mobile phone with vibrations, and later introduced ‘Snake’ to cell phone users.

The first full internet service on a cell phone was introduced in 1999. However, this internet access was different from accessing the mobile internet.

2000s – 3G/4G

During the 1990s, cell phone use started to become commonplace and the demand for cellular data increased. More people sought access to the internet from their mobile phones and people sought faster data speeds.

Engineers in the industry began developing ‘Mobile Broadband’ to satisfy mobile phone users. 2G technology utilized circuit switching for data transmission. The major change from 2G to 3G was the use of packet switching to replace circuit switching. It wasn’t until 3G technologies that mobile phone users could access the mobile internet.

In 2007, Apple rolled out the first iPhone in the United States. The iPhone was a revolutionary device with full internet access, a touch screen and all the functions of a traditional camera phone and mp3 player. Apple has continued to make improvements to the iPhone and there are now more than 100 million iPhone in the United States.

By 2009, engineers began developing a 4th generation of technology to accommodate bandwidth consuming applications like streaming media. The 4th generation is called Native IP Networks.

Cell Phones Today

Like most electronics, improvements in mobile phone technology came about exponentially. Today’s cell phones have capabilities that are likely beyond the imagination of Dr. Martin Cooper. There are almost as many cell-phone subscriptions as there are people on this earth. The advancement of mobile phone technology is bound to continue in future years. What innovations would you most like to see in coming years?