Free Phone Calls

Use Internet Telephony to save huge amounts on your phone bills.

[PRICEPLUS]

I think I'll wait until it is in more general use. Just my nature not to jump into new fangled technology so quickly. I think a couple of years ago the DW and I used some program to make calls but the quality was pretty bad. We are thinking about using our local cable compnay for phone service though.

[DivaJen]

We've used Skype a bit. DH used it to talk to someone in Belgium and it worked out great.

[CRFSaver]

Skype is very popular outside the US. It is very cheap long distance as well. 2 cents a minute in the states. I just used google talk the other night (jabber protocal) and it sounded better then my phone. Plus I could work with the laptop by me and not have to have an earpiece or phone to my head. You always need at least one phone for 911 purposes though.

[mungo j rumpy]

The quality of sound over VOIP has definitely improved, and is fine over
broadband connections.

[mungo j rumpy]

I have a site devoted to this topic, which I put together as an information site. It tells you all about Internet Telephony.

Please see my signature for the link.

Telephony is undergoing a revolution.

Recent advances in Broadband technology have enabled the internet to carry voice signals as effectively as data, prompting the explosion of Internet Telephony.

Phone lines could soon be a thing of the past as we could all be making cost saving calls through our computers.

A proliferation of user friendly interfaces exist to make these services accessible to all, whilst added communciation functionality will appeal to businesses and home users alike

What is Internet Telephony?

The technical name VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol), put simply means the transmission of voice signals over the internet.

It comes mainly in two forms:

Soft Phone (using software similar to messaging software, with a microphone and speakers)

Mainly, but not exclusively for PC to PC telephony (like using messenger but speaking instead of typing), it is more suitable for home use.

Hard Phone ( involves an actual handset which could also be connected to your landline).

This is more suitable for business use, as landline calls can be received as normal.

and so it goes on....

[Fern]

I got a free internet phone when i purchased my computer about 4 years ago, and at least at that time, the sound quality sucked enough that it made it completely useless.

To save money on phone calls, I pay $23 a month for a landline and then use calling cards for all non-local calls. I generally get calling cards offering as low as .02 a minute. CVS now has a deal THIS WEEK (with your CVS card) where you pay $29.99 for 600 minute card and get a 2nd card free. That comes out to .02 a minute.