How does free unlimited telephone calling sound? Did you know you could do it with your computer and a broadband connection?

The answer is Voice over IP, or VoIP.

VoIP (also called IP Telephony, Broadband Telephone, or Internet Telephony) is the routing of voice conversations over the Internet or any other IP network. In other words, voice data is carried over a network instead of the traditional voice transmission lines you’re used to.

Advantages of VoIP

• Lower Cost. In general, phone service via VoIP costs less than equivalent services from traditional phone carriers.

  In the some cases, users see VoIP phone calls (even international) as “free.” While users incur a cost for their Internet service, using VoIP via an Internet service may not involve extra charges.

  There are a number of services that have sprung up to facilitate this type of “free” VoIP call. Examples are: Free World Dialup (freeworlddialup.com), Skype (skype.com), and Gizmo Project (gizmoproject.com).

• Increased Functionality. VoIP makes possible things that are difficult to impossible with traditional phone networks.
  • Incoming phone calls are automatically routed to your VoIP phone wherever you plug it into the network. You can even take your VoIP phone with you on a trip, and anywhere you connect it to the Internet, you can receive incoming calls.
  • In addition to the basic end-to-end voice conversation, more information about and control over each call can easily be provided. This includes sending and receiving messages or data files in parallel with the voice conversation, audio conferencing, managing address books, and passing information about whether others (e.g., family and friends) are available online to interested parties.

Drawbacks