Use Your Corporate Networks For Nearly Free Phone Calls

Snailmail Via the Internet

JOIN THE TECHNO-ADVANTAGED

Use Your Corporate Networks For Nearly Free Phone Calls

MICOM, a US-based manufacturer of networking communication products, introduced V/IP (Voice over Internet Protocol) which allows companies to make high quality voice/fax connections over its intranet.

"This product simply uses a corporation’s unused WAN network bandwidth for voice packets, so the phone call is essentially free," according to Lesley Hansen, director of international marketing at MICOM.

The 18-inch PC card is installed into one computer per branch office, which converts the PC into a gateway between the phones and faxes on one end, and the WAN network on the other end. Together with V/IP software, the gateway acts as a translator, converting analog voice into IP packets, and vice versa. Voice packets are minimized to about 6 Kbps by using bandwidth only when someone is actually talking.

Installing this technology requires the purchase of a pair of V/IP products (US$4,550) and each end of a connection must each have the V/IP. According to MICOM’s estimates, intra-company voice and fax communications costs should be reduced 70 percent to 80 percent.

V/IP should be compatible with any WAN/LAN network, phone system and computer operating system.

MARCOM plans to market V/IP to Internet service providers (ISPs). ISPs using the V/IP technology will be able to offer long distance phone service over the Internet.

OzEmail has already introduced this service domestically in Australia using a similar technology. For its long-distance Internet calls, OzEmail charges less than half the price of comparable calls through conventional carriers Telstra and Optus.

When asked about potential competition from ISPs offering long-distance calls via the Internet, a spokeswoman from HK Telecom said, "This product is not new to the market, and we have been keeping our eyes on this technology."

Datacraft will distribute V/IP in Hong Kong.

You can now send surface mail via the Internet, thanks to a service offered by Stack International Corp.

The company calls it E-Snail, a combination of e-mail and "snail mail," the derogatory term e-mail enthusiasts apply to the service provided by the US Postal Service (USPS) to reflect its relatively slow delivery time compared to electronic communication.

E-Snail communications start as e-mail, which is sent to Stack International’s Web site. The company prints the letter, inserts it in an envelope, affixes postage and puts it in the hands of the USPS.

For overseas travelers, the service provides a less expensive, faster way to get mail from foreign countries to US addresses.

"Up to 30 percent of the mail sent from other countries never reaches its destination," Stack founder Carl Clifford says.

For domestic users E-Snail is a convenient alternative to the USPS. "You don’t have to carry stamps and envelopes while you are on the road," Clifford added.

The service can also substitute as a mail room for small companies. Clifford has clients that have him mail their monthly invoices for them. "At ninety-nine cents for one page it’s about the same as hiring a person to do it," said the E-Snail founder.

Clifford said E-Snail mail costs $0.99 for the first page and $0.20 for each additional page, with volume pricing available.

E-Snail is found at http://stack.com. Users who have an e-mail account but don’t have Internet access can set up an E-Snail account by sending e-mail to info@stack.com. Clifford said there is no set up fee or monthly minimum usage. New members get a free trial just for signing up.

(Contact: Micom Corp, 805-583-8600; Carl Clifford, Stack International, 970-407-0889, e-mail info@stack.com)

Top