The Endless Buzz About Free Voice Over IP Telephony by ED ELLIOT

Communication

Voice over internet protocol or VoIP, the breakthrough technology which has changed the face of long distance phone calls is nothing short of a revolution. Cashing in on this are innovators who are brainstorming new and cost efficient VoIP service plans to rope in a profitable market. In some instances, service providers are even providing free voice over ip calls to new customers. With these affordable plans, so low that after which it practically becomes free, anyone can now communicate and make long distance calls at a fraction of the cost. What can get better than "free unlimited calls to major North American and European countries"? Or, for instance "free long distance calling"? Such plans, now becoming a common in globally are too good to be true. But are these free VoIP plans practical, economically? Over the long run, yes. It is only a matter of time before voice over IP services garner a large share of the market to reach break even.
To make the basic VoIP call, all one needs is a computer with internet connectivity, audio/video components for communication and a network account which provides the gateway to make internet calls to mobiles or landlines. On the other hand, PC to PC calls can be made without any charge. Normally, any basic VoIP service will have other features such as instant messaging, video chatting and three way teleconferencing. Voice calls and internet billing along with caller identification are other common features which one can avail of. Corporate houses can make use of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) which is highly economical in case the company requires their employees to be constant touch. This facility makes use of the PBX system, thus cutting costs considerably. However, these features are severely restricted when it comes to Free VoIP telephony.
Online websites which offer internet telephony have systems so cleverly designed that a customer is lured into signing up for all their services. The mechanism is very simple - the Free VoIP that they offer is usually consists of a limited number of calls but of good voice clarity, thus giving trial consumers a free but value-for-money service, increasing their chances of a loyal subscriber. Lucrative offers such as free international calls are rapidly converting business houses to switch from traditional phone networks to VoIP broadband phone networks and the chief reason behind this is that the only requirement to install these services a minor increase in the total internet bandwidth. Compared to having a separate phone network, this option is cheaper and more convenient.