Between e-mail and cell phones, communication has become more sophisticated over the years. It's also become much more expensive in some cases.

Today, just a plain landline phone won't do. Therefore, many people are paying for a landline phone with national and international long-distance service as well as a mobile phone - in addition to their high-speed Internet connection.

Many consumers, of course, are feeling sticker shock when it's time to pay for it all. Whether you've been hit by outrageous long-distance fees, cell-phone roaming charges or a limited-minute plan inadvertently gone awry, you know those phone rates are not getting any cheaper.

So how do you keep your costs from soaring along with today's advancing technology? In one word, consolidate.

Use the Internet to make telephone calls, and you've found the solution. Broadband telephony, as the technology is called, has become the fastest way to shrink your phone bills. It converts your phone calls into data that zips through your high-speed Internet connection. The big advantage is that you can call anywhere at any time for less money.

Vonage is the fastest growing broadband telephone service provider, offering a variety of low-cost monthly plans, including unlimited calling in the United States and Canada for $24.99. All of the features you pay extra for with your landline phone service - voice mail, caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding - come standard with Vonage service. All you need is a broadband Internet connection and a Vonage adapter. Simply plug your existing phone into the adapter, then plug the adapter into your Internet connection. The adapter is portable so your number travels with you.

For an additional $4.99 a month, Vonage gives you the option of setting up a "Virtual Phone Number," a secondary number tied to your main Vonage line that can have any available area code. That means friends and family can call you for the price of a local call if you choose a virtual number in their area code.

New options are becoming available to make broadband telephony as convenient as possible. A broadband cordless phone, configured with Vonage's service, is soon to be available in stores nationwide. The phone works directly with your broadband connection or router, eliminating the need for a stand-alone adapter.

Vonage will also offer a low-cost Wi-Fi phone, a wireless phone that can make calls over the Internet at public Wi-Fi hot spots. With this phone, you can also make Internet calls from home without running wires to your broadband line.