Survey shows VoIP unfamiliar to Americans

A new survey shows a significant lack of understanding of Voice over Internet Protocol telephone technology and capabilities among American consumers.

Verizon said Wednesday that the Harris Poll found that 87 percent of the respondents did not know VoIP allows phone calls to be made over the Internet rather than traditional telecom networks.

Some consumers ventured that VoIP was a type of hybrid automobile while others guessed it was a new brand of low-carb vodka, Verizon said in a release.

"The acronym VoIP ... can be intimidating for many consumers, because it sounds like something that only tech-savvy people can understand and use," said Verizon executive Michelle Swittenberg.

Swittenberg insists that consumers are quick to jump on the VoIP bandwagon once they experience the technology's ease and its many bells and whistles.

The Harris Poll contacted 1,006 consumers nationwide in late May. It has a 3.1 percent margin of error.

Copyright 2005 by United Press International