23 March 2005
The increasing presence of internet telephony services in the UK and around the globe is gradually phasing out the traditional phone bill, a Times report has suggested.
Commenting on the potential of voice over internet protocol (VoIP) in Britain, the newspaper article referenced phone supplier Vonage who has started charging consumers just £2.99 a month for all inclusive international calls.
Essentially, the new phone service is turning the paying per-minute charges for individual calls into a thing of the past with some suppliers even likely to abolish a monthly service charge.
Niklas Zennstrom, chief executive of London- based internet telephony group Skype explained: "What happens is that the marginal cost for a voice call is zero.
"You can no longer charge for phone calls," he stated, emphasising that put quite simply the technology means: "Phone calls are free".
Despite the obvious potential of VoIP as the new home telephone system, its infiltration into mainstream use has still been comparatively stifled.
But with an increasing amount of media attention, experts have predicted that the days of cheap phone calls could be just around the corner.
Compare home telephone suppliers and save money at uSwitch.com.
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