For many internet users, a computer is the best internet phone available nowadays.
There are many different ways to make calls from your computer through the internet. Since other computers can be called for free, the first thing you will want to know is if the person you want to call has access to a computer connected to the internet.
Computer to computer calls with popular programs:
Services such as Skype and Yahoo Messenger will let you talk from your computer to any other computer in the world, for free. You can ‘chat’ by text and make video calls. All you need is to download and install a program, and finally register a user to any of those services. The other computer needs to have the same program installed, and the person you want to talk to has to register a user as well.
Calling a telephone number from your computer with popular programs:
Using the same services mentioned before, such as Skype or Yahoo Messenger, you can make paid calls from your computer to telephone numbers practically anywhere in the world. You will find different rates per minute according to where you want to call. The destinations can be listed by country, area or city.
There are plans for usual callers that offer unlimited calls to telephone numbers for fixed monthly rates. The price for each plan will depend on the country or group of countries included in that plan. Some companies offer special plans with unlimited calls to a group of countries, one country or only one city.
Plans with unlimited calls are not available for calls all over the world and they are not easy to find for Asia in general, South East Asia in particular, certain African destinations or some Central and South American destinations. It all depends on what is available at the geographical destination of your call (what is out there when it comes to telephone companies, the internet, and how the destinations use a technology called voip). In India and Mexico, for example, the providers find particular circumstances and can only offer certain destinations.
Some destinations (for instance certain countries in Central America) have no fixed rate plans at all. You can still make inexpensive calls to those places, but always paying per minute.
Receiving calls from a telephone number in your computer with popular programs:
With Skype or Yahoo Messenger you are given the option of having a telephone number anywhere in the world. When someone calls to that number, the call rings in your computer. In that way, someone can call you from a remote location at the price of a local call. That is very important: the person that calls you does not have to pay for an international call. For example, you go to study to Bond University in Australia and your mother lives in New Delhi, India. You subscribe to a telephone number in New Delhi, and your computer rings every time they call you to that number.
Calling from your web browser:
Some providers offer the possibility of calling from their web sites so that you don’t need to install any program. You still have to register a user to make a call though. Gizmo is very renowned in this field, but has suspended the registration of new users.
Friendcaller will let you call from their website to anywhere in the USA and other countries at competitive rates..
Another option is Callingamerica, that offers a service to be used only within the USA, but has been reported to be accessible from outside of the USA.
Finally, we can mention Youtele from India. It lets you make calls directly from their website, but the credits can only be bought in certain cities in India.
Something we can do if those services don’t work well for us:
The internet does not work the same in all countries and regions, so sometimes things can go wrong.
If for any reason Skype or Yahoo Messenger (or any other service you might have tried) does not allow you to make calls from your computer to a telephone, you can add a special service such as Gtalk-to-Voip (Gtalk2voip) to subscribe to a telephone number anywhere in the world and use it from popular chat programs: Google talk, Yahoo Messenger or MSN Messenger.
You can take advantage of low cost and free telephone calls, as well as learn more about VoIP technology and how it can benefit you, whether you use it to contact your family and friends, or wish to use VoIP for large business applications.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_B_Hughes
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