Net2Phone

Net2Phone -- IDT claims to have produced "the most revolutionary technology on the Internet" with its Net2Phone client. A bold promise, yes, but does the client deliver? First, the premise. With Internet phone clients like WebPhone, Internet Phone, and TeleVox, the person you call must already be on the Internet and, in most cases, must be using the same software. Net2Phone, on the other hand, will allow anyone with a multimedia PC (you'll need at least a half-duplex soundcard and a microphone) to place domestic and international calls from your computer to any telephone in the world. Your computer-generated call is transmitted over the Internet to IDT's phone switches. At these switches, the call signal is converted from the Internet's packet switch network to the circuit switch network used by telephone companies. The signal is then carried to the recipient of the telephone number you originally dialed. The result is real-time (half-duplex) voice communication with anyone in the world, and at only the cost of your Internet connection and a small surcharge. Yes, there is a catch. Unlike other Internet phone clients, using Net2Phone will cost you each minute of use. The rates, however, should be better than those charged by long distance companies, especially for domestic calls. All calls made within the U.S. will cost 10 cents per minute, as will any international call made using Net2Phone to a location in America. A listing of rates for U.S. calls made to locations outside of America and for international calls not made to American locations can be obtained at the Net2Phone web site. The savings are still considerable. For example, a call to France will cost you 26 cents a minute using Net2Phone vs.about 58 cents per minute when going through a major long-distance company. OK, so the premise sounds pretty good, even if there is a catch. The only problem is that the current reality of the client is that it isn't quite yet "the most advanced telecommunications application harnessing the global power of the Internet" that it's hyped up to be. The current release is limited on several levels. First, the client is limited to half-duplex transmission mode, making for small delays in conversation between users. Second, quality is noticeably poor, especially when you consider the fact that you are actually being charged per minute of use (or will be - see the next point). Finally, Net2Phone will currently only allow you to make calls to toll-free 800 and 888 numbers. If you want to make any other type of call, you will have to wait until the October update of the client (or more likely whenever IDT is able to develop a cost-effective billing system). The final analysis? IDT may yet deliver some amazing technology in the future with Net2Phone, but in my humble opinion, the current incarnation is simply not worth the download. Pros: Real-time voice communication with any telephone user in the world (sort of) Cons: Currently limited to toll-free numbers, poor audio quality, call surcharges New: This is the initial review for Net2Phone Version Reviewed: 4.62 Date of Review: 7/18/96 Reviewer: Forrest Stroud