14. Online communications: VoIP

The internet was originally designed to transfer data from one place to another. However, 'data' can be anything you want represent - including speech.

This what VoIP is about. It stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol.

You speak into a microphone connected to your computer and the VoIP software you have installed converts it into a format that can be sent over the internet. The person receiving the call must also have VoIP application running in order to listen.

There are also specially designed telephone handset for VoIP so it is just like using a normal telephone.

Probably the most well known VoIP service is Skype.