Skype
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 09/29/2005 - 11:52In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I have been using different Voip systems both here and in the UK for the past couple of years now and I can recommend two carriers.
Uk : [url]www.voipfone.co.uk[/url]
Italy : [url]www.vira.it[/url], Although i've only tried there free account so far they have a local number package for about 30 euros setup and then you only pay a little extra (50c for each 5 euro's) for calls which is great of you mainly want if for incoming calls.
With voipfone I get a uk land line number (london 0207) and 500 mins of calls a month to landlines in most countries around the world for about £6 a month.
If you want to get into Voip seriously then you would be better off buying a VOIP phone adaptor which allows you to plug a normal phone into it and then plugs into your ADSL router or network meaning you don't need to keep your computer on just your ADSL modem/router. (look in the hardware sections of most voip websites but I would recommend the sipura 2000 or 3000)
I use Skype a lot to talk to friends in Italy, France and everywhere abroad where I have friends. The clarity is generally very good although sometimes there can be a bit of an echo. If you are using the normal Skype there are no extra charges, other than the cost of your broadband. SkypeOut is a prepaid service when you want to call someone from your computer to their landline or mobile (if they don't use a computer.) The cost of calling landlines is very cheap indeed usually a few cents. However the cost of calling mobiles is more expensive. I can call a mobile in Italy from my landline in England for the same price as SkypeOut. Then there is SkypeIn. This is also a paid service, whereby you are provided with a telephone number which people can use to call you from their landline and you receive the call via your computer. I know that electricity costs quite a lot more in Italy than the UK (especially if you are not resident) but I don't think a computer would use enough electricity that leaving it on all the time would cost too much - but maybe someone can enlighten me if that is not the case.
Linda