Home Phone Service Options

• A cellphone has replace traditional telephone lines for many consumers. David Roth/Stockbyte/Getty Images

  Residential consumers have a variety of options for home-phone service. Whether you opt for a traditional landline service, cellphone service or cable service, you have access to multiple features, including Caller ID, Call Forwarding, Call Block or Anonymous Call Rejection. When you compare home-phone service options, make sure you also review the monthly rates of the various options.

Landline Service

• Companies that provide local landline service include AT&T, Southwestern Bell and Verizon. Numerous smaller companies also offer local and long distance service. Some companies offer various service packages that combine features such as Voice Mail, Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, Caller ID and Call Return. Some companies allow consumers to choose basic local phone service, long-distance services or a combined package of both. Some companies also offer phone services in a variety of packages with other services, such as DSL Internet service.

Cell Phone Service

• For many people, cellphones have replaced traditional landline phone services. Cellphones allow customers to receive phone calls anywhere they are, as long as they can get a cell signal and their phone is charged up. Some mobile phone companies may offer local and national calling plans. However, most mobile companies feature unlimited calling packages. Cell providers offer some of the same features as a traditional telephone company, such as Call Waiting, Caller ID and Voice Mail. Some features cost extra.

Prepaid Local Calling

• Some companies offer prepaid phone services. This option is geared to people who want to closely manage their spending or have bad credit. Prepaid local service may cost more than traditional home phone service options. Some companies charge a connection fee, and extra features such as 3-Way Calling and Caller ID may cost extra.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

• Many cable companies, such as Cablevision, Time Warner and Optimum, provide Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Typically, the companies offer local and long-distance phone services with high-speed broadband Internet services. Calls go through the broadband line for services. During a power outage, customers may not have phone service. You also can receive the phone service without opting for cable Internet services.