To make free calls to other PC's, users simply download the Skype software from the Web site the PC receiving the Skype call also has to be connected to the Skype network. Skype (a popular VoIP network based in Luxembourg, has had 51 million users register worldwide since its inception, with five million in the United States and an average of three million users logged on at any one time. But as with phone-to-phone VoIP services, call quality is not always perfect. PC-to-phone services available today from companies like Skype, SIPphone, i2Telecom and Dialpad Communications offer many features like free PC-to-PC calling, conference calls, voice mail, choice of phone numbers, call forwarding and reduced long-distance rates, especially for international calls. PC-to-phone VoIP rates are less expensive than conventional phone calls and in many cases cheaper than phone-to-phone VoIP services, which route calls through broadband modems to regular phones.Įarly versions of these services have been around since the late 1990's, but the rise of Skype, a mostly free VoIP service using file-sharing technology, has increased competition in the field. Many people also prefer the convenience of talking while working on a PC the services can operate while you are doing other tasks on the computer. One advantage of such services is the ability to make calls through an Internet-connected laptop when cellular service is unreliable.
With these services, users can make calls to and receive calls from regular phones on their PC's as long they have a broadband connection, VoIP software downloaded from the Web and a headset. Now a subset of VoIP services, called PC-to-phone service, is gaining momentum. Cable giants, too, are taking Internet phones to the masses. Internet telephone service is well on its way into the mainstream.Ĭompanies like Vonage, using a technology called voice over Internet protocol, or VoIP, offer cheap long-distance rates and features not found with conventional phone service.
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