13 July 2006
Internet telephony is becoming "increasingly popular", according to consumer publication Which?.
The voice over internet, or VoIP, technology can enable people to make calls at prices far below those charged by conventional home phone suppliers.
Consumers simply need some basic equipment and a broadband internet connection to start making the calls.
Services are free to other PC users with the same software and cheaper calls can be made to standard landline numbers.
Computing Which? magazine tested services offered by Skype, Yahoo, Google, MSN, Babble and Sipgate.
Skype topped its study, due to its easy start up, good voice clarity and "fuss-free" approach.
"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," said Jessica Ross, editor of Computing Which?.
"With mobile phone services entering the broadband market, VoIP looks set to be the choice of the future."
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