Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Flyfone voip an exciting new technology

Its not often that a new technology comes along that can change fundamentally the way we live our lives. VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol, is one such technology.

The telephone has become an indispensable part of our everyday lives and is therefore one of the most important technology inventions of modern times. VoIP is changing the way we use the telephone making it more flexible and cheaper to use for both individuals and business users alike.

Instead of transmitting calls over a traditional phone network, VoIP uses the Internet or a data network such as a Virtual Private Network (VPN). The recent widespread availability of high speed internet access has made this a real alternative for home users.

The cheapest way for individuals to use VoIP is from computer to computer. All that is needed is freely available software like Flyfone and you are ready to make calls to another user for only the cost of using the Internet. Call plans are available from VoIP providers that will allow you to call any phone anywhere in the world at a cost much lower than the normal standard phone charges.

For this you will need a special VoIP Phone (Flyfone usb phone) or an adapter to allow use of your standard phone. A real advantage of this is that you can plug your phone into the Internet anywhere in the world and it is the same as if you were at home.

For Business users there are big cost savings and advantages for Employees. For employees that are hot-desking or have to work out of different offices, they can make any phone their own by simply logging on to the system. This flexibility is also available away from the office as long as they can connect and log into the corporate network.

The phone can now also become a computing device with a screen, connected to the company network it can be used for video conferencing or simply looking up the company phone list. This allows the phone to be used in a way that is impossible with the traditional system.

Companies now only have to maintain one network for both data and telephony. However there can be a significant cost involved in setting up a company system but the return on investment can be short, usually less than a year.

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Free voice calls for all

In a few short years, consumers can expect to make telephone calls for free, with no per-minute charges, as part of a package of services through which carriers make money on advertising or transaction fees, eBay's chief executive said Wednesday.

Seeking to justify eBay's $4 billion purchase of Web-based communications phenomenon Skype Technologies, Meg Whitman countered criticism by a financial analyst during the company's quarterly conference call by agreeing with some of his points.

"The percentage of users that you can actually charge for (phone services) will actually go down, so I actually agree with that and we understood that when we looked at Skype," Whitman said in responding to the analyst's question.

"In the end, the price that anyone can provide for voice transmission on the 'Net will trend toward zero," eBay's top executive said.

The company is betting that by combining electronic markets, online payment systems and Web-based communications, eBay can emerge as a leader in all three businesses.

Skype, which allows free Web-based calls between members, ended September with more than 57 million registered users. eBay said it expects Skype to produce estimated revenues of $60 million in 2005, and more than $200 million in 2006.

Whitman said Skype's explosive success, would--over the next several years--drive the cost of phone calls to nothing.

The chairman and chief executive of the world's largest online auction site said the transition to completely free voice communications will not happen in the next year or two, but that could happen in the next three to six years.

"Our belief is that the winner in this space will be those that have the largest ecosystem," Whitman said. "What I mean by that is: the largest number of registered users, the largest number of voice minutes, the largest number of developers who develop the platform, the best product...that users are willing and want to pay for."

eBay said it had 168.1 million registered users for its online auctions as of the end of September. It had 68 million active users who signed on to bid or sell in its electronic marketplace over the past 12 months. It had 86.6 million current accounts on its PayPal payment service, it said.