Using the Internet Provides More Ways to Phone Home

Internet telephony companies -- whose products transmit phone calls via the Internet rather than over traditional phone networks -- are the latest wrinkle for price-conscious consumers.

Internet calls can be made in several ways: from one PC to another, from a PC to a regular phone and from a regular phone to another phone -- like a traditional phone call -- except via the Internet.

Internet telephony can be free (for PC-to-PC calls) or cost significantly less per minute than conventional calling for PC-to-phone and phone-to-phone calls. However, all types of Internet telephony can suffer from quality and reliability problems.

Because Internet telephony relies on a delivery system designed to transmit data and not voice, users often experience a slight delay between when the caller speaks and when the person at the other end hears the voice.

``We're talking about a system that in the last six months has improved significantly,'' said Fara Hain, manager of marketing communications for telephony provider Delta Three. ``It used to be very difficult and cumbersome to make a call from a PC and was almost a hobbyist thing. Today, you can call people and they don't know you're on a computer.''

It still takes some effort to make a call from a computer, particularly when calling from PC to PC. The service requires special software; a PC with a microphone, sound card and speakers; and an account with an Internet service provider. Callers speak into the PC microphone.

There are no charges for PC-to- PC service, although callers must pay for Internet access. Some companies also require a one-time charge for software. Other products, such as Microsoft's NetMeeting and Netscape's Conference, allow users to download their software for free.

Because there are currently no standards in the Internet telephony industry, users of most PC-to-PC products must have the same software and be online at the same time for a call to be connected.

This summer, MediaRing of San Pedro (Los Angeles County) introduced a service that rings a PC if it isn't online -- although the computer must be turned on to receive the call. There is a $4.95-a-month charge to use the service, which requires both parties to have MediaRing software.

PC-to-phone and phone-to- phone Internet telephony services provide savings on calls within the United States but offer the best value when used to contact friends and relatives overseas.

VocalTec offers PC-to-phone software for $49.95 after a two-week trial period. Those who buy the software can give a license number to a friend or family member, which allows that person to use the service for free. Because PC-to-phone service requires a connection between the Internet and the traditional telephone network, there also is a per- minute charge. Rates for international calls using PC-to-phone service are 50 percent to 80 percent less than traditional long-distance rates.

To use PC-to-phone service, a caller must activate the software while online. Some services require consumers to enter a user name and password and then the phone number they're calling.