The recent world-wide down turn is forcing individuals, corporations and companies to look at ways of cutting costs. One way of doing this is to find a suitable and alternative way to make phone calls. Whether personal or business, options are now available using voice over the internet protocol or VOIP.
To a large extent, people have already incorporated the use of VOIP without actually realizing. Many millions of Individuals use MSN and Yahoo as an everyday routine of life. The once text only service now has incorporated a voice and web cam facility making it possible to talk to people anywhere in the world for free. Businesses use Skype to make conference calls often involving conversations with more than two people. Although established within the psyche of most people, many however fail to realize that the use of a landlines can now be made redundant altogether.
The above describes the use of applications which allow PC to PC calls to take place. However, new technology has allowed the PC to telephone, a landline and/or a mobile. Most people's concerns with this would be three fold:
1. Having to always switch on the computer
2. Quality of phone call
3. Set up expense
Skype address all three options. Although each adopts a different approach, it is certainly now possible to make a phone call via the PC, without having to switch the computer on, and by using your existing handset. The quality of the phone call is as good if not better, and the set up expense although constitutes an additional outlay, is relatively inexpensive and ultimately does away with the expensive land line altogether. The rates for making phone calls are considerably cheaper than the land line, thus cutting costs at a time when most people will need to.
It is no surprise to learn that consumers are turning to VOIP at a greater rate each year and the data shows that 1 out of 12 households at least in Canada have turned to VOIP which indicates a trend which is unlikely to reverse.
