While I usually don't post new product or service announcements, this is
a first.  this is the first 5 cent a minute long distance is being
offered to the public that will connect to any telephone in the United
States anytime, seven days a week.  Yeah, I know that this isn't computer
related, but it is an example of the benefits the Internet can bring to
even non-computer users.

kelly



from the New York times

New Competitor in 5-Cent Phone Calls

     T alk is cheap these days, at least in New York and Chicago.

     Those are the two cities where consumers can make long-distance
     telephone calls to anywhere in the United States for 5 cents a
     minute using calling cards released Monday by IDT Corp.

     MCI Communications Corp. and Sprint Corp. offer a 5-cent rate at
     some times. IDT's rate, which is one-third that of AT&T Corp.'s
     common flat-rate plan, is valid at all times.

     IDT, a small company based in Hackensack, N.J., is able to undercut
     the long-distance giants by sending conversations over the Internet
     rather than over traditional networks. The catch is that
     conversations over IDT's system, while quite intelligible, do not
     match the sound quality of calls over standard networks.

     Still, the low end of the long-distance market is booming. In
     December, the Qwest Communications unit of Anschutz Corp. announced
     a service for 7.5 cents a minute that uses the Internet, and AT&T
     said last week that it intended to enter low-price Internet
     calling.

     IDT says it will offer its 5-cent service in Boston, Los Angeles,
     San Francisco and Washington by the middle of next month and in 19
     more markets by the end of the year.

Copyright 1998 The New York Times Company