WASHINGTON, July 13 (UPI) -- Making phone calls over the Internet is cheap or simply free and getting ever more convenient, so it's hardly surprising that the number of Voice over Internet Protocol fans continues to increase steadily worldwide. Yet there is still frustration about VoIP as many users are finding that there are limits to its use, according to one report.
Of course, the fact that Internet phone calls have some limitations compared to their landline counterparts is no surprise. In the United States last year, for instance, legislators debated the downside of VoIP, most notably the fact that Internet calls cannot be connected to U.S. emergency services including the police and fire departments. As a result, Internet call providers must now always state clearly in their advertising and other materials that 911 calls cannot be made through their networks. In addition, people have found out to their dismay that during emergencies such as a major hurricane or other disasters, getting online access is almost impossible as networks are flooded to the breaking point, and making a call via the World Wide Web becomes effectively impossible.
The problem, though, is that the problems facing Internet calls are common enough in other countries as well, and industry analysts continue to caution users about the downside risks of depending solely on carriers such as Skype and Vonage. In surveying six major VoIP companies, namely Yahoo!, Google, MSN, Babble, Sipgate and Skype, British information-technology research and industry publication group Computing Which? pointed out that Internet callers should continue to have a landline phone in conjunction with their Internet calling networks.
At the same time, however, Computing Which? Editor Jessica Ross was quick to applaud what VoIP has to offer and stressed that conventional telecommunications carriers had better be on their toes amid heightened competition in the industry.
"Using your PC as a phone can be so cheap -- often even free -- that pricy landline and mobile bills could be in danger of becoming extinct. With mobile phone services entering the broadband market, VoIP looks set to be the choice of the future," she said.
The group's study found that Skype was by far the most user-friendly in setup and use, in addition to providing the best voice clarity. In addition, the Luxembourg-based company that was bought out by online auction house eBay late last year allows connections to landline phones, unlike Google Talk and MSN Messenger. Yahoo! Messenger, meanwhile, provided a wide range of features including the option of landline calls as well as Web cam chats, instant messaging and conference calls. It was less impressed with Google, pointing out that audio level indicators only came in once the call had been initiated, while it said Babble was "let down by its poor help files and software bugs."
There is no doubt, though, that using the Internet for making phone calls can lead to significant savings, especially when making costly overseas calls during peak hours.
