"There are times when I go to pick up the phone and I just can't dial out and it cuts me off," said Melanie Sharp, an Internet phone user and former Utah resident living in Sunnyvale, Calif. "It's not as smooth and reliable as a landline, but most of the time, that inconvenience is worth it."

But Ohio-based businessman Cary Jenkins said glitches with his Web-based phone are rare. He estimates he makes anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 work-related calls per year and loves the convenience of using the Internet for business.

Across the nation, more and more businesses have begun using VoIP, according to Seiffert, who called the Deseret News using a Web-based phone. That growth has happened because service providers have made adjustments to the quality of their service and high-speed Internet has become more pervasive, he said.

"You would never know that you and I are talking on an IP phone," Seiffert said. "Service providers are making the adjustments they need to."

Likewise, Huw Rees, vice president of sales and marketing for VoIP provider 8x8, said the only reason for a person not to switch to a Web-based phone would be the reliability of their Internet connection. As for concerns about using VoIP to make a 911 call, Rees said his company requires subscribers to submit a form listing the address where they will use their Internet phone.

Vonage does the same.

"There's no danger from that perspective, and reliability is just dependant on that last connection," Rees said.

At Skype, Jonathan Christensen, general manager of media platform, audio and video, said his company does not link its users with 911 providers because Skype is not marketed as a landline replacement. In addition, his product is more mobile than some other VoIP products, and people may not always be in the same location when using Skype, he said.

"We make no representation that we're a good landline replacement," said Christensen, who maintains a landline at home. "I know many people are doing that, but I think the driver there is less oriented toward services like Skype and more oriented toward the mobile phone."

Still, competition among all the different VoIP providers is tight. Cable and phone companies have also begun offering VoIP services in addition to Internet, cable or a landline. Just last year, Comcast overtook Vonage as the top provider of VoIP services within the United States.

Here in Utah, Qwest began offering VoIP services in 2005. While spokesman Gary Younger said he doesn't believe the Internet will completely replace traditional landlines, his company is aware that customers want access to the service.

"Technologies change, and Qwest is positioned to provide the services that our customers demand," he said. "The sky's the limit for someone's needs."