There is a way to make calls free to friends and family all the time. They just need to belong to the same SIP service as you do.
SIPs, or session initiation protocol, are a variety of VoIP that allow people to use their computers to talk to friends on computers. It’s an engineering standard that the industry has settled on, although companies such as Skype use their own proprietary technologies.
You need an Internet connection, a computer and, for comfort purposes, a headset. SIPs tend not to be connected to a traditional phone line, so you can’t call grandma on her old-fashioned telephone. However, some SIPs offer prepaid services so you can call regular phone numbers.
GloPhone
Software phone that is free to download and can be used for calling other GloPhone or VoiceGlo members. You get a traditional 10-digit phone number in the 714 area code that includes a four-digit extension. To call traditional phones, you must buy prepaid calling cards that price calls between 2.5 cents to 5 cents per minute. Prepaid cards work for international numbers, too, including Mexico City (4 cents per minute) and Vietnam (30 cents per minute).
Skype
As mentioned, Skype isn’t a SIP because it uses a proprietary technology. But it’s free – that’s why it’s part of this list. Founded by the same folks behind file-sharing service Kazaa, Skype took the lead in free VoIP services. Its software at skype.com has been downloaded more than 150 million times, possibly because it’s compatible with PCs, Macs, Linux and even Pocket PC systems. Features are limited unless you pay for them. Voice mail starts at about $9 for three months. Skyped In, for about $18 for three months, gets you a regular phone number that non-Skype users can call. Skype also teamed up with Boingo, the Wi-Fi service company, so you can make Skype calls in Boingo hotspots for $2.95 per hour or $7.95 per month.
SIPphone
Call other SIPphone users for free, and for 2 cents per minute, call anyone else in the United States. At sipphone.com, there are three software phones available: the Gizmo Project, PhoneGaim and Xten X-Lite 2.0, which looks curiously like Vonage’s soft-phone service.
Free World Dialup
Call up other friends on the Internet with software from fwdnet.net.
Earthlink’s Vling
You don’t have to be an Earthlink Internet subscriber to get the service for free. Its new Vling service includes free voicemail, three-way calling, an online calling log and online account management. You can also call members of SIPphone, Free World Dialup and other SIPs. Software at earthlink.net/voice/vling is available for PC and Mac users.
AdCalls
Al Krauza, a retired salesman, co-founded a VoIP service that is free because it relies entirely on advertising. AdCalls.com is a multilevel marketing company that requires its representatives to pay to work there (in exchange for a Web site and other tools). If you can get a code, you can download this PC-only service and start calling friends anywhere in the United States for free. No credit card required!
AdCalls also recently opened up a service with free calls to Mexico. Some caveats: You can only call out on your computer, you must watch a 15-second animated ad before each call and Adcalls will now have your e-mail address. Also, phone calls last 10 minutes, though you may call back. Try the service at your own risk.
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