But this is only the beginning. The days of paying for long-distance telephone calls are rapidly coming to an end, thanks to Internet technology. The Internet is very capable of carrying telephone messages, and is increasingly doing so for users at a very low cost - often, for free. Microsoft recently bought into the idea when it made available to its network users the Internet telephone service offered by a leading VOIP, Net2Phone Inc. of New Jersey.
Calls can be made for as little as one cent per minute, and free-time packages are available.
Any user can make calls from their PC, provided it has a sound card and a microphone, and they will be transmitted over the Internet to Net2Phone's phone switches. These switches will automatically relay calls to their final destination, which could be a phone, a PC or a fax machine. All you have to do is sign up, download the software and install it. Anyone can sign up on Net2Phone's web site. It's this ability to go from computers on the Net to other devices, like phones or fax machines, that distinguishes the new VOIPs from the older systems.