You can also use the service from the site with your ID number. Calif. It launched in October 1999 and has about 7 million customers. Dialpad estimates that roughly half use the service at least once a month. The service, a big hit on college campuses, is funded primarily by ads that customers see when they log on. Dialpad may expand its international services.
Calls go over a private network.
CEO Brad Garlinghouse doesn't expect services like Dialpad to replace conventional phone service. It even asks if you own stocks and have refinanced a mortgage. The information is used to target ads to you. Once you've signed up, you must log on to the company's Web site using your ID and password to reach the Java applet, which brings you to a dialer that looks a lot like a phone's keypad. Type in the number you want to call and click dial.