Internet Phone calling - How Internet Calls Flourish?

The economic crisis requires thinking about how to reduce costs, to help the family budget or the company's finances. One of the prerequisites is the phone. To order pizza, or a doctor to discuss the terms of a contract, the phone is crucial, as does the cell. But the combination of mobile, the spread of broadband (fixed or mobile) and Wi-Fi makes it possible to analyze other forms of communication to reduce fixed costs.

We speak of the voice service over IP (VoIP, in computer jargon) which allows voice transmission over the Internet. The advantage is that enough to have the one computer and a broadband connection so they can talk all you want, at no cost (beyond access to the Internet), and an audio quality equal to or better than offered by conventional telephony. In fact, most of the calls that are made in the traditional network is transformed at some point in a VoIP call.

This was the popular video service Skype (www.skype.com), which now has 370 million users. It offers an instant messenger that allows chat, make free calls and video conferences between Skype users to call traditional phones from your PC at low cost, for we must buy credits worth of minutes per call, or pay a monthly subscription. Other messengers free like Windows Live Messenger (download.live.com / messenger) or Yahoo! Messenger (ar.messenger.yahoo.com) also allow for voice connections between users of this network and to call landlines and mobile phones.

The control of these services, not long ago was that it was talking to a microphone, sitting in front of the PC. But this is changing: with the advent of cell phones with Wi-Fi and 3G, it is possible to have an application that can connect to these networks and to initiate calls from mobile VoIP. The advantage is the portability and convenience of using a device that is designed just to talk, if you have an unlimited internet connection and the speaker uses the same service call is free.

The only one that has a formal application for Windows Mobile phones and iPhone is Skype. There is also a Java version for mobile phones and Symbian-Nokia-Sony Ericsson and others, but is more limited, the BlackBerry version is in development. There are freeware alternatives, compatible with mobile operating systems mentioned. Besides Skype, connect to networks of Windows Live, Yahoo! and Google Talk to make calls to a PC or a cell with this application. Among the most popular are Fringe (www.fring.com), Nimbuzz (www.nimbuzz.com), has offices in Argentina) Truphone (www.truphone.com) and Talkonaut (www.talkonaut. com).

Its use is simple: you must install the application that is downloaded from the site or in the mobile browser, entered into the system, and activate the accounts of the messenger (just entered our username and password). Then, whether we are going to connect via Wi-Fi or 3G. The application will show which contacts are online, we can chat with them, as an alternative to SMS, and if you want to start a voice call.

But there's more: if you purchased Skype credit can be used to call any traditional phone number. The alternative to Skype, which owns, is the standard SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) for voice calls over the Internet. The nice thing about SIP is that no matter what application is being used, while consistent, may be used to make standard calls.

On the Web there are a huge number of providers of voice over IP support, you can purchase credit to make calls and use them later from any program on any device, just have the information necessary to connect. These providers offer an own application (softphone, in the jargon). Among them are VoIPblaster (www.voipblaster.com) VoIPStunt (www.voipstunt.com) and Net2Phone (www.net2phone.com).

In between is Gizmo5 (www.gizmo5.com), a multi-platform softphone that allows you to make video calls between Gizmo users, chat with other services, make calls to the telephone network via SIP, and Skype users through a OpenSky service called (which has an annual cost of $ 20).

The softphone is an application that simulates a phone, simply dial the number and initiate the call. The service is the cost of it and the remaining credit on the account.

As an alternative to make low cost calls, but do not require either broadband or a special application are Jajah (www.jajah.com) and RebTel (www.rebtel.com) is entered, the site of service, phone number you want call us and we want the number to call, and the system generates two local calls to make the connection, which lowers costs, especially in international connections.

It is also possible to use a service called Voice over IP compliant with SIP standard without a computer, but need a broadband connection. We use a device that functions as an adapter between a conventional telephone and the Internet router. Permitted to use any phone to make VoIP calls and if a call is received such that the device will ring. In the market also tend to appear dual phones capable of connecting to the telephone system common in the PC and Skype, the base has a USB cable to the computer. The more advanced models are able to initiate calls to Skype contacts from the phone. As with SoftPhones, if the call is a SIP number to another (regardless of provider) will have no cost, because it never leaves the Internet.

The limitations of VoIP

In all cases will require a credit card or PayPal account to purchase credit. By using these services must be borne in mind that if you cut the light or the Internet connection, there will be any calls, except with a 3G mobile connection and an unlimited. Furthermore, the emergency numbers (911, 101, for example) will not be available in general. And call quality depends on the overall performance of the Internet, then there may be problems in audio quality or the latency (delay in the arrival of the response of our party).

The calls have not remained idle and expanded its service offerings. Telefonica and Telecom charge $ 16 for basic telephone subscriptions, and $ 0.0567 for each pulse of local call to a landline phone (2 minutes in 4 hours and reduced hours). But they also have plans with a lot of minutes if an amount paid access to the Internet (from Arnet and Speedy, respectively). In addition, there are special options for local calls. For example, Telecom offers a monthly payment of 4200 minutes for $ 29.90; Telefónica, as a plan by Call Rate Plan, which pays $ 0.242 per call, no time limit. And they have more offers of this style.

Several local vendors offer IP telephony attractive alternatives for the price of fertilizer or the portability of the service, which can be anywhere where Internet. They all offer at least one local number for the user.

Metrotel (ivoz.metrotel.com.ar), for example, offers a fertilizer with 500 minutes free local calls to fixed phones for $ 23, or without a monthly cost but can be recharged (such as prepaid cell phones) among other plans. Have an installation charge of $ 150, which includes the adapter to connect to the router for Internet access and any conventional telephone.

Another local, IP Tel (www.ip-tel.com.ar) offers a monthly plan with 400 minutes for local calls and 50 minutes to 29.90 pesos per domestic destinations. Meanwhile, Iplan (www.iplan.com.ar) offers a plan for 1500 minutes of local calls to fixed numbers for $ 93.17, with an installation cost of the adapter 100 pesos.

In all cases, calls between users on the same network are free, and there are more plans available. Calls to cell phones are a cost that ranges between 25 and 40 cents per minute and depends on the operator.

Although it requires a computer, the Skype service can also be competitive, with a payment of 10,000 minutes to the entire country by 4.54 euros, or around the world to 10.29 euros, must be borne in mind that Argentina did not is one of the countries with SkypeIn, ie the ability to handle calls made to a landline phone in Argentina, from anywhere in the world.

Telmex (www.telmex.com/ar/), for its part, offers a calling plan to the entire country for $ 0.21 a minute, or $ 0.18 per minute to the U.S. from a landline, a price similar to that of the VoIP providers that offer rates ranging between 0.10 and $ 0.15 per minute for fixed numbers of United States and some countries in Europe, and may be twice or more for other destinations, calls to tend to have a mobile that doubles the price of fixed calls, but still can serve to bring a bit of home economics.