It allows Skype customers to call standard phones from their VOIP devices for a per-minute fee.The credit you buy is way cheaper than any package you may get from your phone company if you are looking to phone landlines.

As if that isn't enough there is also a service called the SkypeIn service where Skype subscribers who download the free VOIP software can buy up to three numbers currently available in eight countries: the U.S. and the U.K as well as Denmark, Finland, France, Hong Kong, Norway, and Sweden, A three-month subscription costs $13 and a full year $39.

The main benefit of the SkypeIn service is that it allows non- Skype users to reach registered customers. However there is an added benefit: calls made to Skype phone numbers are billed at the normal long distance rate.

Take, for instance, a call between London and Paris. Even if the Skype user, who has a London number, takes the call while on a trip to Japan, the person calling still only pays the rate for a call between the two European capitals.

There is also a voicemail option as well which is available as part of the SkypeIn subscription or can be purchased separately for about $7 for three months and $20 for a full year.

I have used Skype for twelve months, and have found the software to be simple to use and the quality of the calls is excellent. Best of all though I have seen my phone call bills slashed by up to 85% now that I use Skype to call everybody.

And if you are concerned about downloading and installing Skype, all I can is don't be. If my Dad who is a total computer nerd worked out how to download and install it then it simple for anyone to do.

The bigger commercial telecom firms are beginning to sell voice over internet protocol packages.All the telecom experts are watching voip closely thinking that maybe it will crash and burn.Will the www spell the end for voice over ipMy assumption is that it is still in its youth and inevitably will go through a time where a lot of different firms will come up with different ways to do this.The most plausible scenario is that the federal govt will want a slice of the action by regulation.Skyp are charging to make phone calls to cell phones and local regular phones, and that's called skyping out,etc

It looks like voice over interet protocol is also at the forefront of web video conferencing as well. With 911 happenning in the not too distant past more people want to travel less and less so it is a great opportunity for voip to put video conferencing back on the map

We are also seeing a huge amount of people using audio and video on the web now that download speeds are that much faster.Many people think video and audio will be a passing fad but all the evidence points to the contrary.

Over the next 5 years we will see whether the free skype download takes off in the way many gurus predict.We will know fairly soon how it performs .