“I call my mother in Karachi every day. I use Skype and she uses her regular phone. It costs so little, it’s almost free,” says Raziuddin Syed, a senior IT engineer based in Tampa, Florida. Staying home, he works for an international accounting firm, thanks to internet-connected laptop computer and the voice over IP (VoIP) technology.

“Five years ago the cost of phone calls, especially those using VoIP, was much higher than it is today. Calls between members of services like Skype are always free but calls to other phones, landlines or mobiles, carry a very small per minute charge,” Syed says.

The world of phone calls is changing fast. It’s suddenly full of programmes like Skype, iChat, Google Talk, various Messenger programmes and others that let you make free phone calls to anywhere.

Skype, which has enjoyed rapid growth and popularity since the launch of its services, is a software that makes it possible for people around the world to communicate via voice, video and IM over the internet and at a lower cost than traditional methods. Skype is everywhere but there are other solutions, too. Google has Call phone, a plug-in that works within Gmail free email application. It was limited to phones within the United States and Canada when launched and it has extended that offer to many more counties through 2011. You are ready to go with a computer, a Gmail account, and a mic-equipped headset. A webcam allows you to see who is at the other end.

Google Voice is free. It offers a host of attractive features such as transcripts of your voice mail messages and free text messages, though it does not save you any money on cell phone calls as it places calls over the regular cellular network. It can make free domestic calls from your computer or a landline but not from your cell phone.

Skype provides free international calls too, at least until the end of 2011. You can use its Free Calling service in over 190 countries including Pakistan via the landline, mobile and PC, Iphone App, Android App, and even Google voice. It takes you two minutes to sign up, create contacts you want to call, Get Free Calling Credit and call. International calling rates are cheaper than Skype.

An ambitious and technologically advanced Lahore-based company has launched Vopium, making possible high-quality international VoIP calls at very attractive rates. Vopium has signed agreements with Canadian Convergia Networks and Swiss TEL4LESS, and is reaching out to other companies and ISPs looking to join the booming mobile VoIP market. With or without a mobile service offering, it is prepared to provide Vopium’s voice and messaging services under their own brand, giving telecommunication companies and ISPs a new tool for developing their business model and retention rates, as they can offer price-conscious customers international mobile calls in superb quality with up to 90 per cent savings, without compromising their own brand and existing international call margins.

“Traditionally, telecommunication companies have regarded mobile VoIP providers as challengers to their core business. Now they realise that a quality VoIP offer enables them to grab a share of their competitors' international traffic. It also helps them to protect their user base, retaining cost-conscious customers with frequent calls abroad,” says Tanveer Sharif, the CEO of Vopium.

Not everybody is happy with the state of internet calling. Many who have tried to use cell phone, landline or even WiFi over internet say that internet-calling applications are apt at lowering expectations. Compared with cell phone calling, internet calls takes somewhat longer to connect and the sound quality is usually poor. Then there is the usual voice delay. Try this: tell your calling partner that you are going to count to three and asked them to say “three” simultaneously with you. You will find that even on a cell phone, you will hear “three” about half a second or so late. On internet calls, the delay is much longer.

While your laptops, PCs, Blackberrys, iPods and other devices await better and more efficient applications for VoIP calling, you can bet that in near future your telecom devices will shrink further and maybe you will like to keep them inside your pocket while using them or put them on like wrist watches.