Australian soldiers to use VoIP solutions to call home

Australian soldiers will soon be able to use VoIP solutions to call home, it has been revealed.

Troops serving overseas or patrolling the country's border will be able to access a Wi-Fi enabled PC to use IP telephony solutions, reports computerworld.com.au.

The Australian Defence department will issue 370 PCs to the 3,800 Australian personnel who are currently serving in foreign and domestic operations.

Defence documents on the project obtained by the news provider claim the new technology will help boost morale.

They said: "Current-generation Australians utilise the internet for many reasons including communicating with friends and family via email, instant messaging or VoIP.

"[Australian Defence Force] personnel are no different and the provision of these services to deployed forces is seen as a major contributor to morale and an extension of its existing amenities support."

The computers will have a bandwidth of at least 56kbps per user and will also allow soldiers to access word processing software, music and videos.