Broadband News

Consumers making free calls via broadband

(12-03-07) - Research released this week has shown that consumers are using their broadband connections to make phone calls, and most of them are doing it for free! The BBUS Consumer Survey 3 has discovered that 13.8% of internet users make IP phone calls, and 78% of these are using free services. (find out more about making Internet Phone Calls

BBUS (see useful links) interviewed broadband users who made calls over their internet connection, asking them how these calls were made. Ten percent used a VoIP service provided by their ISP (this incurs a charge); 12% used software like Vonage to call internet users and phone lines (this also costs money); 22% used a free call combination of webcam and software; and 37% used software like MSN or Skype to call other internet users for free.

An incredible 35% of VoIP users use Skype, but only 0.4% use Vonage (visit www.vonage.co.uk).

Surprisingly, the take-up for internet phone calls has been fairly slow: 82% of broadband subscribers still aren’t using any VoIP service at all.

Chris Eagle, Commercial Manager at Broadband Choices, said, “With so many phone companies offering unlimited calls at particular times of day, there’s a chance that competition within the home phone market could be stifling the development of broadband services.”