[misterrob]

Telcos understand phone service better than anyone else simply because they have been doing it for so many years. I have done the Vonage thing and dumped it after two weeks given the crappy acoustics (packetized voice is simply not up to snuff in my book). Perhaps the limits of voice/IP will continue to lessen but until MSOs and VOIP build adequate network facilities then they simply cannot compete on quality.

[steve86]

packetized voice is simply not up to snuff in my book

Voice quality on our VoIP service was poor for the first three months, to the point where an international conversation was impossible (poor analog segments added to the problems there). Firmware upgrades and a router change (principally setting up the VoIP box as a demilitarized zone) made all the difference in the world and the voice quality is now near perfect.