How to Make Free Phone Calls to Land Lines Over the Internet
VoIP (voice over IP) calling technology exploded in the early 2000s. It basically allows you to make a phone call using your Internet connection. Because it is so easy to set up and doesn't require many resources or the expensive infrastructure that regular phone companies need to provide services, there are many companies that offer low cost VoIP phone calls using the Internet. There is one service, called iCall, that offers free calling from your computer to cell phones and landlines in the U.S. and Canada.
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Instructions
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Visit iCall.com. This is a fairly new online phone calling service that allows you to call people from the comfort of your laptop for free using VoIP technology. There are limitations, the biggest one being that you can only talk for 3 minutes for free.
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Download the "iCall for the Desktop" program to your computer. Once it is downloaded, you will be able to sign up for a free iCall account.
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Plug headphones into your computer. These headphones must be the type that customer service representatives wear, with both earphones and a microphone that can be positioned in front of your mouth (see "Resources" below for an example).
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Click the "Dial" tab on your iCall dashboard. Type in the phone number that you want to call using the black numerical keypad (be sure to type 1 before the number for U.S. calls) and then click "Place Call." You will hear the Internet VoIP phone dialing.
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Receive calls for free by giving your friends and family an iCall local access number (you will be given a list to choose from at sign up) and your extension. When your friends and family members call the access number, they will be prompted to enter your extension, and the call will come through to your computer as long as you have the iCall program up and running with a working Internet connection.
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Tips & Warnings
If you need calls that last longer than three minutes, iCall also has low cost VoIP calling services for around $10 per month (unlimited usage). You can also feel free to call your party back after your 3 minutes is up. If you have an iPhone, you can download and use the iCall service on that phone. Because it relies on an Internet connection (WiFi) you can receive and make calls on your iCall application without using your cell phone minutes. Though the iCall system doesn't have any known problems or vulnerabilities, always make sure that you have a good anti-virus and anti-spyware program installed on your computer before downloading any new program. Google also has plans to offer free VoIP calling services to customers. The service is called "Google Voice." You will be assigned a Google phone number. See more details about Google Voice under "Resources" below.
