Today I installed Skype on my computer. Skype is a new service that allows voice teleconferencing over the internet. This technology is nothing new. Many instant messaging service providers also have voice chatting capabilities. However, Skype claims that the sound quality is even better than that of regular phones and can conference up to 5 people. The service is totally free (at least for now) without any ads. The other advantage is that it has P2P (Peer to Peer) architecture and there is no central system to connect to. Skype was designed by the people who created Kazaa, a popular P2P file sharnig system. At my company we are actually starting to use this service to have conference calls between our London, Rio and New York offices. So far the results are great. Skype supports regular IM chat as well.
Try it out! Download it, install it and
To use the service efficiently you need a pair of headsets with a microphone attached. They look something like this:
You can pick them at your local electronics store or on line. But if you'd rather have a conventional looking phone, you can get a special USB phone that connects directly to your computer.
Although it will take some time to happen, you can be sure that, eventually, all of the circuit-switched networks will be replaced with packet-switching technology known as VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol). VoIP telephony just makes sense, in terms of both economics and infrastructure requirements. More and more businesses are installing VoIP systems, and the technology will continue to grow in popularity as it makes its way into our offices and our homes. Things are changing right now. According to a new study, published by Sage Research Inc., 86% of US organizations surveyed report they are in various stages of evaluating or deploying VoIP telephony. This is the technology of tomorrow but the cost savings and business economies mean it will very quickly be a standard part of every PC.
Here are some news articles:
