Internet phone

In computing, technology allowing users of the World Wide Web to talk to each other in more or less real time, via microphones and headsets. Network delays mean such connections are not as good in quality as traditional telephone connections.

The earliest products were limited in that they only allowed users to talk to each other if both were logged on to the Vocaltec Web site at the same time. Later products have made it possible for a person using the Internet to dial any telephone in the world. The technology used to enable Internet telephony is called Voice over IP (VoIP).