US-based company Go2Call is using the Internet to offer "free"
transatlantic calls from the UK, writes Caroline Davis
The PC-to-telephone service allows calls to be made from
anywhere in the world to the UK, US, Ireland, Germany and Canada.
The only cost to the user is that of the Internet connection.
"The quality of the call is similar to that of a mobile phone
and DSL users say they can't hear any difference from a traditional
phoneline," said Jeff Stevenson, Go2Call's vice president of
marketing.
However, he admits that connection speeds, the service provider
connection and the amount of Internet traffic can all affect the
quality. To decrease degradation, Go2Call connects directly into
the Internet backbone.
Peter Hall, principal consultant at Ovum, said, "Delay is a big
factor when using the public Internet. A 150ms delay can
significantly impact on the quality of the call. For enterprises,
it isn't just about making low-cost calls, it's about converging
voice and data networks. The quality of service is much more
important for a corporate."
The Go2Call system uses a server-side technology, which places
most of the strain on the server rather than the user's PC. All
that is required on the PC side is a downloaded, thin Java applet
which grabs the audio signal and forwards it to the server. The
only hardware needed is a Pentium MMX-capable PC with sound card,
microphone and speaker and at least a 28.8kbps connection to the
Internet.
The idea of Web-based telephony is not new and it has long been
touted as the future of telecommunications and a threat to the
established telecommunications companies. Hall believes that in the
long-term IP (Internet Protocol) will be the basis for all
telecommunications services, but he said it will be 10 to 15 years
before 80% of world traffic is carried on it.
Microsoft's MSN Messenger service also offers free PC-to-phone
calls from the UK to the US.