How to make free internet calls

As internet connection speed continues to grow faster with technological break throughs in this digital age, making a phone call from your computer via the internet uising VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) -anonymously known as internet telephony or broadband telephony- is becoming trendy and a very  cost effective means to communicate worldwide.

Internet telephony can be made just like a conventional telephone service, to connect to other VoIP phones, conventional phones on the PSTN, or POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service), and Mobiles, as shown below. VoIP telephones can be physical phones, that look just like conventional telephones, or they can be 'soft' phones that reside as software on a PC example are Voipax, vonage, voiptalk, etc. Remember that the PC used in this way requires a sound card with speakers and a microphone, which can be in the form of a headset or VoIP telephone connected to a soundcard or via USB.

The benefits of VoIP I will like us to eploit in this case, is how to make calls that entail no cost for calls made. These connections are normally those made to the same network, i.e., another user of the same VoIP service as the originator with call charges incurred when crossing to other networks such as the PSTN or Mobile networks. Charges may also be incurred when connected from one VoIP provider to another. Typically providers will offer quantities of times for monthly fees, in much the same way as fixed fee mobile phone contracts. 

Basic Requirements 

1. A standard computer with a sound card with speakers and microphones or a VoIP headset connected to the sound card or via USB
2. Highspeed Internet connection service preferably DSL/Cable or higher with minimum upload and download capacity of at least 90kb/s
3. A 'softphone' (VoIPCall, VoIPax, Vonage,etc or software like Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, Skype, ICQ, etc. These are all free to download from the above service providers website.

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VoIP Headset

Getting started 

• Once you have downloaded and run one of any of the above softwares on your computer, then you are ready to connect to the world. 
• You will normally be required to create an account with a username and a password to login into the program.
• You can also test your headset or speakers and microphones connected via the sound card or usb. For example in skype you can actually make a test call to see if your audio and microphone settings are configured properly
• After you must have succesfully intsall and test your audio and mircophone settings for your headset, all you need to do is invite your contacts to add you to their networks if they are already using the same service. If not they can create an account with the same service and add you to their contact list or otherwise so anytime you or they are online it will be indicated. 
• You can then initiate a call by selecting on any of your contacts who are indicated as online and clicking on the call button to begin a conversation for as long as you want. With some services like skype,yahoo, Live messenger, etc. you can actually make a live video call as well as leave a viocemail message when they away which they can listen to anytime they connect to the internet.     
• I will like to also highlight the advantages of services that give you the option to call landline and mobile phones. Although they are not free calls, they however are many times cheaper than your conventional phone services in terms of the rate they charge per/min especially for long distance calls.

source : http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-make-free-internet-calls#mod_2256403