Is it still possible to phone friends in Canada or America free of charge?

No, in 2001 MSN Messenger Service had a scaled down version of Net2Phone built in which allowed one to phone Canada or America, from a computer, free of charge! Like so many free-for-use wonders of the early Net this disappeared after the dot com shakeup that followed.

 Where can I get MSN Messenger?

You can download MSN Messenger (now known as Windows Live) from http://windowslive.com/desktop/messenger Follow the instructions carefully as you may first need to sign up for a Microsoft Passport and Hotmail account if you do not have them at present.

 What is the sound quality like?

Because Windows Live, Net2Phone or Skype can be used for single computer-to-computer or computer-to-phone systems, the sound quality is better than the quality you would experience with group video chat systems such as PalTalk.

All Internet communication systems suffer from bandwidth restrictions but Net2Phone and Skype can give exceptionally good results. I have used it to contact friends in Canada and America on a regular basis and have found that computer-to-phone connections can sometimes equal or better a normal landline connection in quality. It all depends on how fast your Internet connection s at the time of your call.

 Is there a system I can use to phone other countries from my computer?

You may wish to try Net2Phone or Skype. I have used both for more than 10 years to save money on calls to various countries worldwide. You will need to purchase "air time" from either party but will find that it takes a while to spend 10,00 Euro as overseas calls are fairly cheap when compared to Telkom's rates. Skype now also offers South Africans monthly subscription rates that allow unlimited calls to landlines in 40 countries for under 10 Euro per month! Take a look at our side bar for more details.

Enjoy the savings!
Webmaster ASAQS

Try Net2Phone or Skype

The PC Way To Talk!
Placing PC phone calls is easy! All you need is a computer with a microphone and speakers or you can use a headset.

To place a call, just grab your mouse and click our on-sceen keypad. It's just like using a regular phone!

Dial in a number and Net2Phone or Skype will direct your call to any phone in the world!

Your PC phone call is routed over the Internet. And because it bypasses much of the traditional phone network, Net2Phone or Skype can provide incredibly low rates for the millions of calls it delivers worldwide