Traditional Telecommunications are Being Trumped by VoIP Services

Traditional Telecommunications are Being Trumped by VoIP Services

The way people speak to one another is significantly changing. Indeed, expensive telephone bills and high call charges are being left behind in favour of the improved services and cheaper, or free, call rates being offered by a number of online businesses. And, with such features as low cost international calls and free video calling, it's easy to see why people are increasingly taking advantage of them.

Although there were a number of initial teething problems with making calls over the internet, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology has greatly improved, largely due to improved broadband connections and enhanced internet applications. Accordingly, current figures indicate that of the 1.6 billion people using the web, over 100 million subscribe to some form of VoIP service: this number is predicted to rise over the next few years.

Requiring an internet connection and the relevant software, which is free to download, anyone can use VoIP to make calls. Dependent on how you choose to use the service, it's then possible to utilise a number of different applications.

Those who want to make free VoIP-to-VoIP calls, for instance, need to ensure the person they want to connect with has the same software package as them. They can then speak to that person whenever they want to, for any length of time. There's also a range of other features available for gratis, including conference- and video-calling, and instant messaging services.

In addition to making free calls, you can also connect with landlines and mobile phones for a fraction of the traditional costs charged by telecommunications companies. Generally speaking, there are two payment options, both of which offer up a variety of benefits.

The first one is pay-as-you go, which involves adding credit to your account. Once you've done this, you can then make cheap calls or send text messages to anywhere in the world from your computer or, if you have the application installed, your mobile phone. Call rates can start from as little as £0.012 per minute.

The second option is to take out a monthly subscription. Several of the companies offer deals, for example, that will allow you to spend up to six hours each day, or 10,000 minutes per month making calls, for a fee of around £8. You can also often take advantage of cheaper call rates with a subscription, and many don't require you to take out a long term contract.

There are a number of VoIP companies operating over the internet that offer people the opportunity to make free and/or low cost calls. Consequently, it's now possible to speak to your friends and family at any time of the day or night, without living in fear of receiving mammoth bills at the end of the month!