[angkor]

If you actually connect to a real telephone with a directory number, the phone company is still delivering traffic to the end user.

VoIP phones *are* real phones. And those with cable broadband and VoIP service are completely off the telephone company grid, e.g., not a trace of Verizon in the house.

In a world of global directories there is no rational reason to marry a VoIP telephone *exclusively* to a numeric address, i.e., 202-555-xxxx

[neb52]

"VoIP phones *are* real phones. And those with cable broadband and VoIP service are completely off the telephone company grid, e.g., not a trace of Verizon in the house."

Except when the voice packet is terminated on a PSTN service to complete the call. It could then still be going over Verizon's Network. With VOIP the future would be dialing an IP address instead of a traditional POTS number. But that is still down the road a bit.

[Myrddin]

VoIP phones *are* real phones. And those with cable broadband and VoIP service are completely off the telephone company grid, e.g., not a trace of Verizon in the house.

I don't buy it. The cable company doesn't have long haul digital lines. They buy T1 -> OC16 connectivity from a phone company to host the connections to the internet. The telcos may be out of the class 5 end office switch business for VoIP, but they are still carrying the traffic.