Free Phone on the Internet

Imagine you could call your friend in London as often as you wanted and talk for as long as you wanted for FREE! Well you can, sort of, with internet phone software. Currently, if you have internet access and a basic sound card with speakers and a microphone, you can use the internet to make phone calls almost anywhere in the world. There is a large variety of internet phone software available for download on the internet or from your local software store. Some is available absolutely free, some will cost you a few bucks.

How does it work? Basically, you and your intended talk buddy both connect to the internet and each runs a version of the same internet phone program. You then connect in a variety of ways, depending on the software you are using. Once you're hooked up, two or more of you can carry on a conversation, speaking into a microphone and listening on your computer's speakers. Nearly all of the programs you can use provide no interoperablity. What this means in regular language is that if you are using the program called FreeTel then the person or persons you want to talk to must also be using FreeTel. The reason for this is that the makers of the software have set up one or more computers to act as centralized servers. You log into their server through their software via the internet, your buddy logs into the same server using the same software and at that point you can start your conversation.

This isn't the most convenient arrangement. It means that you've got to coordinate with the person you want to talk to so you're both online at the same time and you are both connected to the software vendor's server at the same time. The cheapest way to do this would be to arrange the time via email. A better but not so cheap way to do this would be to make a quick initial phone call prior to attempting to link up. You could also just make a standing date to meet online for a chat, say at 9pm every Tuesday night.

This sounds pretty great on the surface, and it is, but there are definitely some drawbacks. For one thing, the sound is not really "pin drop" quality; actually, pretty far from it though it usually is good enough to communicate effectively. Another problem is that most currently available software operates in half duplex mode. This means it works a lot like a walkie talkie or CB radio; you talk while the other person listens then they talk while you listen. Some newer programs are capable of supporting full duplex so you can both be talking at the same time just like on a real phone call. Another drawback involves some of the free phone software that, in exchange for being free to use, displays ads for your edification as you prattle away. Not terribly intrusive but pretty tacky and somewhat distracting.

Some enterprising folks have taken this technology as an invitation to do an end run around the major telephone companies. They set up a centrally located office in a city like Baltimore and put in some computers with modems and some software, set themselves up with internet accounts for about $20 a month then do the same thing in a city like Madrid. People can come into the office in Baltimore and talk to people in the office in Madrid and the charges can be a fraction of regular telephone tolls. Not particulary convenient but sure saves folks some money.

Are the telephone companies worried about this technology? Surprisingly, not too much. Ted Creech, speaking on behalf of Bell South, said that most, if not all of the major phone companies feel that internet based phone technology is still in its infancy and that the current crop of software poses little threat to their customer base although they are watching it this market closely. Also, most telcos are getting into the internet services market themselves and see this as one more opportunity for them to make money.

The best way to see how internet phone works is to try several of the packages and see for yourself which one works most to your liking. Keep in mind that you need at least the following: a computer with a sound card, speakers and a microphone, an internet connection. The person you want to speak with online will need the same setup and you will both need to be running the same iphone software.

If you have access to the necessary equipment and can put up with the somewhat convoluted process of getting connected and don't mind the sometimes laughable quality of the sound you should give it a try. If you ever spend a lot of time on the phone to someone very far away you may be able to save quite a lot of money with this technology.

Here's a sample of the products available and where to find them:

• InternetPhone, VocalTec, www.vocaltec.com, demo limited to 1 minute, full version $69, one of the few products that works with Macs as well as Windows
• WebPhone, NetSpeak Corporation, www.itelco.com, demo limited to 3 minutes, full version $50, Windows only
• FreeTel, FreeTel Communications, Inc., www.freetel.com, free demo with ads, full version $29.95 - allows you to disable the ads. Windows only.
• CoolTalk, Netscape Navigator plugin, available here, free, includes chat and whiteboard capabilities. Windows with Unix and Mac versions available soon.