VoIP phones can save you cash on calls while abroad

IP telephony solutions can remove the expense from staying in touch with friend and family when travelling abroad.

Using the wrong carrier in the wrong country to call home can result in a bill costing as much your return flight, the Courier Mail has said.

VoIP phones can cut the cost of making international calls by carrying voice over the internet, rather than using dedicated fixed-line telephone infrastructure.

VoIP traffic works by converting voice into data packets, which are then transmitted over the internet and converted back into audio when they are received.

Only a computer, a microphone and speakers or headphones are needed to make VoIP calls - users must then select a VoIP provider, some of whom offer free calls between members.

"Though it sounds complicated, using this technology to make free phone calls is easy", according to the Courier Mail's Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson, who added that some providers also offer VoIP hardware.

VoIP phones and other alternatives to traditional landline and mobile networks are increasingly being used to make international telephone calls, Ovum said recently.

International calls have traditionally been highly profitable for telecoms companies, but this revenue is now under threat from cheaper options like VoIP solutions.