PC Calls

Tito Pontilan

Phone communication is rapidly becoming a service one can avail of using the internet.  This has become possible using VOIP, or voice over internet protocol.  Because this method is much cheaper than making a regular call, more and more people are opting to communicate this way rather than over the usual telephone - especially attractive when making calls to other countries.  Calls to certain places are even free of charge.  Of course, which places are free to call varies from one VOIP provider to another.

Types of Internet Telephony Providers

There are two main types of providers who allow PC calls.  The first is the provider that includes it as one of its services.  Illustrating this are email service providers like Yahoo and Google who also include an option where their members may talk to other members using their email address.  This was later expanded to include making calls to telephone numbers in the United States; then, further expanded to cover other countries as well.

The other type is the specialist provider.  These are those that are focused solely on internet telephony such as Skype, currently the most popular, and iCall, for those using Mac OS.  Calls made using these services are generally clearer, by a very small margin, than non-specialist ones.  They also offer other services as well like conference calls and instant messaging.

Practical Limitations

Many PC call companies started off providing their services for free.  However, as the demand grew and it became necessary pour in capital in order to keep up.  These companies sought other ways to cover their expenses and earn at the same time.  Thus, when making free calls, the user might be shown advertisements from company sponsors before these PC calls connect.  These free calls are also limited in their duration depending on where in the world the call is being routed to, this could be anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes.  Furthermore, there is also a limit on the number or free calls that may be made per day.  Two good examples of this are TuiTalk and EvaPhone.

Despite the advances made, there are limitations inherent to this type of service.  One of the most important is connecting to emergency numbers.  This cannot be made using VOIP.  A regular phone is thus necessary when calling numbers like 911.  Furthermore, the clarity of the call is not only dependent on the VOIP provider but on one’s internet connection speed as well.  A slow internet connection will definitely affect the quality of the call.