Are Free Conference Call Services Really Free?
We’ve all heard the expression “nothing like a free meal, but with so many companies to offer free language services conference call is obsolete?
The answer depends on how one defines the term “free”. After much research on this subject, I managed to reach some interesting conclusions. I looked at the following options are available to assess its effectiveness for conference calls.
1. Free Conference Calling Skype
2. Free conference call using the non-geographic numbers (NGN)
Free Conference Calling Skype
Many of you reading this has heard of Skype which lets you make free calls over the Internet (Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP for short). If you have a PC or laptop and a good quality headset connected to broadband Internet with sufficient bandwidth may hold a conference call with a limited number of participants, without having to pay anything.
The additional cost of the conference call is zero, but the installation costs are substantial, unless you already have the equipment described above. As the cost of hardware falls and bandwidths improve, more people than ever now have the necessary platform and then Skype is an ideal solution for some people.
Our experience with the quality of Skype calls are highly variable. In quiet moments when our Internet connection is not busy we get excellent results in the call quality, however, may not be reliable, so I do not consider it robust enough for business calls or those where large numbers of people.
Skype Abstract: The conference call itself is free, but they have invested in computer equipment and Internet connection first. Limited number of participants and lack of reliability make it unfit for the Conference to three key business where reliability is a necessity. There are other VoIP services which may be more reliable and cost after Skype, here are some other VoIP services over
Free conference call using the non-geographic numbers (NGN)
This type of conference call toll enables audio conference participants to call a third phone number geographical hold its conference call. It is important that you understand what a non-geographic numbers and how telephone operators – or “telecommunications” – calls to the load.
As its name suggests, the geographical telephone number (NGN) is a phone that does not terminate at any fixed location. But when you call an NGN, the telco redirects the call to a “real” phone. In the U.S. the most famous type of NGN toll-free 1-800. By calling a 1-800 number you have no idea that an operator who takes your call is located, could be anywhere in the world.
Of course, telecommunications companies are not in the business of giving free calls, if someone somewhere has to pay. For the 1-800, the company that called the phone company supports the cost of the call.
Another type of NGN is a premium rate number. In the UK there are a number of many different ranges of some of them call cost 1. 50GBP (about 3. 00USD!) Per minute per call, as this service. They are often used for “adult” services and chat lines. Companies wishing to promote a service contribution rate to hire a number of premium-rate telecommunications and advertising their services with the intention of generating a large number of calls to this number.
When clients call premium of NGN, the telecom bill the client for the appeal and give a percentage of sales to remind the company that hires them NGN. Indeed, the telecommunications company and rental income are sharing NGN call. The important point to note here is that customers do not pay the telephone company in the leasing company the premium NGN.
Companies that offer free teleconferencing services conference call using this method. The commission that the phone company to pay the provider of audio conferencing services are used to pay for the operation of the conference bridge, an advertising service, and (sometimes) to make a profit.
Some telephone companies announce such conferences audio conferences as a free service. But it is almost certainly a charge for the call. Therefore, to qualify for this type of conference call service, you must find an operator who can receive a call at a reasonable price for a reliable connection.
This is the closest you can come to a conference call truly free, as they use less income-generating NGN available in Great Britain. In other words, one that begins with the prefix 0844. Some other companies use 0870 or 0871 which are more expensive.
NGN Summary: NGN based services free teleconference can be useful to small businesses and people with moderate needs audio conferencing, but these services are usually very basic and not suitable for large organizations. For large companies, supporting a greater number of participants, teleconferencing, tend to be a better option. As they are more likely to provide the support necessary to make the call without interruption on a clear line. P>
p> Peter Bennett is CEO of a large British company conference calls; Ozone conference a>. Peter has been extracted OzoneConferencing free conference calls a> service for this story. P>
I agree with you, skype is free if we make pc to pc calls, but it offer nominal price while calling pc to phone. still these are very low charges that every one can afford it.