Internet phonecalls
[November 2005] Phonecalls can be expensive, especially if you have to pay national or international toll fees. It's worth looking into using Voice over IP (VoIP), or in other words using your Internet connection for making effectively free phonecalls.
"I knew it was over when I downloaded Skype," Michael Powell, chairman, Federal Communications Commission, explained.
"When the inventors of KaZaA are distributing for free a little program that you can use to talk to anybody else, and the quality is fantastic, and it's free — it's over. The world will change now inevitably."
— Fortune Magazine, February 16, 2004 [Quoted at www.skype.com/company.]
What you need.
You need a computer connected to the Internet and equipped with a microphone and speaker (and sound card). If you don't have these built-in then you can buy them as extra peripherals. You'll achieve the best results with a fast Internet connection and good quality microphone and speaker, but even a dial-up connection can work just fine.
Prepare for calling.
You need to sign up for a VoIP service, such as Skype and install the software. Exchange Skype names with your regular contacts and add the names to your Skype address book.
As with many services these days you can sign up free or pay for more advanced features. The free service includes calls to other Skype users; you pay extra to be able to call regular phone numbers.
Make a call.
You can easily see which of your contacts are online. To make a phonecall double click a contact's name in your Skype address book. After a short time the call will be connected and now you just talk as though this were a regular phonecall.
How much does it cost?
The basic Skype service is free and allows you to call other Skype users over the Internet. There is no cost beyond your normal Internet charges. For a tiny extra fee you can call regular phone numbers using SkypeOut. At time of writing that rate is 0.017 Euros per minute (about 3 cents NZ). That includes international calls.
Compare that with Telecom's Anytime plan, charging 18 cents per minute for national calls and 49 cents per minute to the UK, and you can see why VoIP is becoming so extraordinarily popular.
It may be worth doing some sums and experimenting a little.
More information on VoIP.
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/ip-telephony.htm