Voice over Internet Protocol: Free phone calls via the Net

By Vishnu K. Mahmud

JAKARTA (JP): "Hello?"

"Hey, Cap! What's (krrzzk) up?"

"Dude, this is a very bad line!!"

"Really? I ... trying this (krrzzk) ... net phone!"

And thus began my experiment with Internet Telephony, otherwise known as Voice over Internet Protocol. VoIP is an alternative method of calling people over the Net. Armed with a computer, headset and an Internet connection, I successfully contacted my friend on his home phone in the U.S.

Internet Telephony provides an alternative to long-distance telephone calls, for which Indonesia has some of the most expensive rates in the world. VoIP uses the Internet to connect calls, thus avoiding the entire costly long-distance infrastructure.

The underlining concept of VoIP is simple. The computer receives the voice via a sound card, breaks it down into data packets and sends it to the other side. The receiving computer then reconstitutes the packets and the sound/voice is produced. Technically, the sound should be relatively clear, or at least be equivalent to a cellular call. In practice, this is not always the case.

I later made another call to the U.S. and the quality was better then I expected. In contrast, my friend in Florida tried to call her parents in Kansas and said the experience was rather traumatic. She said it was like calling Mars with all the static and echoes. She would talk, wait for the sound to reach her parents, hear her parent's response and then talk again. It is similar to Ship-to-Shore radio where you must end your sentence with the word "over". Do you copy, over?

Bandwidth is always an issue for VoIP. I use a cable modem while my Floridian friend (yes, she did vote and is rather annoyed at all the election brouhaha) had a regular modem and dial up account. The faster the packets can arrive at their destination, the less likelihood of delays, pauses or interference. But VoIP sound quality is not clear compared with current long-distance lines, where you can (supposedly) hear a pin drop.

Traffic too comes into play. You may have a 56k modem but if you call at night when no one else uses the Internet, you may have full reign over your Internet Service Provider's bandwidth. However, you may have a cable modem but if everyone else uses the same facilities at the same time, your conversation will be like ET phoning home.

For consumers, there are many methods for using VoIP: PC to PC, PC to Phone and Phone to Phone. Some of you may have actually used Phone-to-Phone VoIP services without even knowing it. You may have seen the ads for cheap international calling cards or even seen the cards in various malls. The prices are up to 80 percents cheaper then Indosat or Satelindo IDD (International Direct Dial) rates. Why? Because they use the Internet to link your call.

IP Star Phone (www.ipstarphone.com) is another Phone-to-Phone VoIP company that targets the regular consumer. No computer is necessary. The catch is you must buy their specialized hardware to utilize their service. The apparatus is attached to a regular phone (or DSL/Cable connection) and the user dials as with a normal telephone call. But instead of connecting via their regular long-distance carrier, they connect via their ISP. Priced from US$230 upward, the IP Star device offers free long distance for subscribers using their hardware and excellent rates for non- IP Star users.

Net2Phone (www.net2phone.com) also offers free long distance but no specialized hardware is needed. Using your PC (sorry, no Macs) and Net2Phone's specialized software, you can call friends for free who also use Net2Phone. Competitive rates are offered for PC-to-Phone telephone calls. The unique thing about Net2Phone is that it offers a variety of options apart from regular voice service. They also have PC-to-Fax (fax from your computer to anywhere in the world) and Voice E-mail services (send, receive and listen to voice e-mail messages).

Dialpad (www.dialpad.com) is a unique website that offers free PC-to-Phone calls to the U.S. from anywhere on the planet. The user can make free unlimited calls to anyone in the United States, including 800 numbers. At the moment, Dialpad has just launched a service for calls to Korea as well. This site is accessible at www.dialpad.com.kr. The only problem with Dialpad is that they sometimes have problems connecting if the user is behind a corporate or personal firewall.

Hot Telephone (www.hottelephone.com) also offers free PC-to- Phone long distance, and they are not limited to the U.S. You can call up to 30 countries (including Australia, Canada and Singapore) using their software, which must be downloaded. However, like Dialpad, if you are behind a firewall you will not be able to connect to the destination number.

If you are curious about this whole Voice over IP thing but are too lazy or cautious to download any software onto your computer, try out Yahoo!'s chat room (www.yahoo.com). Apart from the regular on-line chatting, users can record and send short voice messages for all in the chat room to hear. This feature can be turned off if you have low bandwidth and can sometimes be annoying if everyone decides to send a voice message of their own at the same time (It gives the chat term "flooding" a whole new meaning!)

Voice over Internet Protocol has come a long way since it was first introduced. Where at first the link was poor and sound almost nonexistent, VoIP providers now advertise that their service is almost like a cellular phone (depending on bandwidth size and traffic, of course). However, VoIP is still far from being used in day-to-day business applications due to its quality. But if you have a friend you have not spoken to in a while and do not mind the Mission to Mars-like transmission, it may be an option. (vmahmud@yahoo.com)