Calling long-distance cheaply

There are many companies offering VoIP (voice over Internet protocol), which allows free or discounted international calls that travel mostly through the Internet, saving on long-distance charges.

The major provider is Skype (www.skype.com), with over 300 million users. Skype allows one to make computer-to-computer calls through the Internet for free no matter one’s location in the world. (For a computer without a built-in microphone and speaker, a headset is required.)

It also offers international calls initiated from a computer (or Skype WiFi phone) for very low rates. (There is a connection fee of 3.9¢, then a per-minute charge of, as examples, 2.4¢ to Switzerland, 9¢ to India, 20.5¢ to Namibia, 2.1¢ to Chile or 21¢ when calling the U.S.) In countries with less infrastructure, calls made to cell phones will have a slightly higher rate.

For people without computers, there are stand-alone Skype phones that use WiFi (available at coffee shops and hotels) instead of traditional cell towers to initiate these discounted calls. Netgear sells a WiFi phone for $149.99 (visit www.skype.com) that can be used with both protected and unprotected WiFi networks. Skype phones, however, cannot access WiFi that requires one to sign in using a Web browser, which is common for hotel Internet access.

There are two ways to pay for calls to land lines and mobile phones: buying Skype credit in increments of $10 or paying for a subscription. Unlimited international calls to land lines cost $9.95 per month.

One must sign up for Skype service and purchase call time using a desktop computer, but a Skype phone alone can be used to check your Skype credit balance.