|
A new low-cost Internet telephony service has been introduced to Dublin's Global Internet Cafe, it was announced on Monday.
The company, which has cafes on O'Connell Street and Grafton Street, is installing the latest US-based Net2phone system on a trial basis. Calls are made through the Internet as opposed to a phone line. The customer dials a number, which is put through a gateway system. The system in turn converts the voice into signals compatible to travel through the Internet.
This means that international calls can be made at a saving of up to 50 percent on traditional call costs, according to the cafe.
"About 70 percent of our clientele are people from overseas, either on short visits or here on a long-term basis, so we are first and foremost promoting this new service to our existing customer base," Finbarr Clarkson, Managing Director of Global Internet Cafe told ElectricNews.
Internet telephony has already attracted the interest of other companies, and major telcos including AT&T have invested heavily in the area.
"It is not really suitable at the moment for use in the home due to small bandwidths, but it would definitely benefit small companies," Clarkson said.
Global Internet Cafe is anxious to make sure that the system works successfully before advertising it beyond its existing customer base. The company ultimately aims to have a handset available at every computer terminal, as a complementary service to what is already available. It has invested approximately USD10,000 into the operation.
Customers have already used to the service to make calls to America, China and Australia with success. Global Internet Cafe has about 4,000 customers a week and hopes that the new service will add to customer volume.
|