Voice over Internet Protocol: Free phone calls via the Net
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)