April 13, 2005

'Net Based Phone Calls. More Powerful Than You Think

For those who rely on telephone service more than most, especially when international communication is important, moving your telephone traffic via the Internet can save you a LOT of money and give you enhanced features.

CNN writes Now, Voice over Internet users can chat through conventional telephones, paying about $20 to $30 a month for unlimited domestic long distance and add-ons that would cost extra in the traditional phone system. Most importantly, they can call, and receive calls from, the traditional phone system.

"As more homes have broadband, the odds are the user market will go up in proportion," said Jeff Pulver, an Internet telephony pioneer. "The question is who becomes the dominant providers: Is it going to be the incumbent cable operators, the incumbent phone companies or start-ups?"

Whether there's a broad public appetite for this newfangled phonery remains unclear. Are current VoIP offerings attractive enough for people to want to unplug their reliable traditional phones for generally cheaper but more unreliable Internet telephones? A lot more convenience can be built into the technology.

Tuli says the quality of the VoIP calls has improved dramatically since he first tested out Internet telephony.

I recently tested out Skype's telephony service and was amazed how just using my PC and a microphone I was able to talk to someone in Canada for FREE. It's crazy. For business class telephony - voice mail, multiple lines and etc, VOIP is not going to be free but it sure is quite cheap and feature rich.

On the other hand, you'll note I "tested" the service. I really don't need VOIP for my day to day calling as MCI rates are fine for my needs. However, if I start making a lot of international calls and use my telephone more, switching to VOIP might become more than a test but a reality for me.

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