Internet provides fantastic new technologies every day. Making cheap long-distance phone calls or sending data with the help of the Internet is something that almost anybody can do. Voice over Internet Protocol, also known as VoIP, is an innovative technique that has revolutionized the world of telecommunication. The main advantages of this technology are: cheap prices and cost effectiveness. People from all over the world can communicate and send data, even pictures, in real-time, for free, using a 'Softphone'. This is a program, also known as 'Software Phone', which enables you to use your computer as a telephone. The program generally resembles the keypad on a telephone and functions in quite the same way.

VoIP technology transforms analog signals into digital data packets, which are then compressed and sent over the Internet at high speed. When the data reaches the destination, it goes through a reverse process of decompression and conversion to an analog signal. It may seem complicated, but this is a real-time process, which means there will be no delay between the two speakers. What you need to take full advantage of the VoIP technology is a broad-band Internet connection. The dial-up connection is not recommended to be used for this new type of communication because, while transferring voice, its quality is affected, so it's very unpleasant. It is also too slow for a voice over IP service so, to take full advantage of this amazing technology, you need a high-speed connection to the Internet. The greatest advantage of the VoIP technology is that PC to PC calls are free, no matter the distance between the two speakers.

Another feature of this amazing technology is the possibility of making PC to Phone calls. This type of call is not free, but it's much cheaper than the traditional one. The first thing to do is to buy credit from the Internet telephony service provider. For the Pc to Phone service, the rates of any Internet telephony service provider are accessible and cheaper than the traditional telephony services. The PC to Phone service is very convenient, and all you need to do is to purchase a pre-paid credit from the VoIP provider. There is no need for entering into a contract of any kind, and you can use that credit to call any telephone around the world.

A great advantage of the VoIP technology is its great mobility. Today you don't need a computer to use it. You only need a phone with a broad-band or a satellite connection, which means you can take it with you wherever you go. This is great news for those who travel a lot, because now they can make and receive phone calls much more efficiently. Whether you are in Europe, or in USA, your call will be treated as a local one, and your phone number will be the same.

All in all, the Voice over Internet Protocol technology comes to satisfy the people's need to communicate, and calls can be made, either PC to PC or PC to Phone, all over the world, no matter the distance, at very low costs.