I was having a browse and came across a website www.themagicjack.ca which is a VOIP phone system for use at home so no need to have an actual landline number, just the broadband connection.

I'm not in my own place in Canada at the moment but looking at the usual costs of Broadband, TV, phone packages etc. I use Skype on the PC lot to chat to my family back home but wont as much when they all move here but imagine the wife etc will want to call home every/every other week etc. It is advertising at $80 for 12 months US/Canada calls and $20 a month for unlimited international.

I stream a lot of TV at the moment in the B&B I'm in and even thinking of not getting a TV package in my own place but think my wife and boys will think differently on that one

I was actually looking online for 'skype phones' when I came across this.

That is a rip off!

You would be better going to the 'official' magic jack website - you pay an annual fee of $19.99 which includes free calls to the US and within Canada (you can also send one to the family in the UK and they will also be able to call you free), Uk calls to a landline are 2c per minuet. For an initial payment of $49.99, or $69.99 for magic jack plus, you get the hardware as well. The renewal fee of $19.99 (annual) is automatic unless you cancel. Magic Jack Plus you can use with any phone without having the computer switched on.

http://magicjack.com/faq/ http://www.magicjack.com/plus-v05/

You can also buy the hardware from Tiger Direct, Future shop etc. http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/produ.../10144420.aspx

Okay, Magic Jack. I suspect you have to have a good speed on your broadband connection. I have a low speed, around 2 mbs and the magic jack doesn't perform that well. The audio from a caller will often stutter and there is a bit of delay. The worst thing is the customer service or almost lack of it. I had prepaid $20 international minutes. I had made around 15 international calls, the longest of which was about three and a half minutes. Therefore I had still quite a balance. It was around $19 and then it disappeared for some inexplicable reason. I am still attempting to get it re-instated and it has now been over a week. I have a mobile pay as you go to back up the MJ. I have no cable tv, I have a pc sat next to the tv, hooked up to Expat Shield (free vpn) and am able to watch the BBC and some independent channels. As I say, I have the slowest broadband with Eastlink and it costs $35, including HST. You don't need to spend a fortune on communications.

If your looking at Voip we discussed this a whiel ago in the lab (might be worth a search)
Its hard to beat callcentric for all round costs, links to the regular phone network, international calls and service..

The best startup hardware IMHO is a Linksys PAP2 and can be bought on e-bay direct from HongKong/China for around $30

I had Magic Jack and gave it up because it didn't work for me. Maybe it was because as you said I have slow speed.
Customer service was OK for me.
I don't know how they do it but now they have one you can plug into a wall plug.
Can't beat the price for sure.

As far as voice services are concerned, 2mb is not a slow connection. Voice services such as Skype will work on a 56K modem, but can use up to 100K. 2mb is 20 times the recommended connection speed and is more than adequate for any voice service. Just make sure you're not running anything else over the connection such as torrent services.

I recently did a bit of research into VOIP offerings in Canada. With MagicJack Plus you can plug it into your router. NetTalk Duo allows you to port your existing number but my local number wasn't available for some reason. I ended up getting the Ooma Telo which is a lot more expensive to purchase the hardware but has a lot more features and I can port my existing number over. The basic service is about $3.95 / mo.

MagicJack is not without its scandals

"MagicJack Loses Junk Suit Against Site that Revealed it Spied on Users"

Do you have an i phone or android? you can get a skype app for your phone. I use my mine to call the UK all the time!!

I've got an iphone with Skype that I use when within a wireless area (or at home) as the data bundles are so expensive.

I can't believe the Cell phone plans here compared to the UK & Europe.

If I could find a plan with 200 minutes, unlimited text (incl international) and 2 Gb data for $60 I'd be happy