Depending upon the level of service that you want, you can make phone calls on the Web at no charge or for prices that are a fraction of what your local telephone company charges. It is possible to place Internet telephone calls on a dial-up modem with some difficulties. However, the process really becomes simple when you use a DSL or cable modem broadband connection.

I no longer need to have a telephone line in my home. I get unlimited calls to any telephone in the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii. Most international calls cost a bit of money but are always much, much cheaper than what my local telephone company charges. The sound quality is very good — as good as a digital cell phone or better. I pay a reasonable monthly fixed fee.

This really has nothing to do with genealogy, so I will not describe it in this newsletter. However, I did write an article about my experiences. This article includes some advertising for the company whose service I am using. If you are interested in making low-cost phone calls over the Internet, you might like to read my article at: www.rootsforum.com/telephony/voip.htm

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