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Path: informatik.tu-muenchen.de!fu-berlin.de!news.mathworks.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!miwok!northcoast.com!northcoast.com!not-for-mail
From: [e-mail] (Kevin Savetz)
Newsgroups: alt.internet.services,alt.bbs.internet,alt.culture.internet,alt.winsock.voice,alt.winsock.ivc,comp.sys.mac.comm,comp.os.ms-windows.apps.comm,alt.answers,comp.answers,news.answers
Subject: FAQ: How can I use the Internet as a telephone?
Followup-To: alt.internet.services
Date: 5 Oct 1996 03:00:18 -0700
Organization: Northcoast Internet
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Summary: Answers the Frequently Asked Question "How can I use the Internet as a telephone?"
Xref: informatik.tu-muenchen.de alt.internet.services:60381 alt.bbs.internet:55623 alt.culture.internet:29883 comp.sys.mac.comm:193498 comp.os.ms-windows.apps.comm:14735 alt.answers:19099 comp.answers:21470 news.answers:83387

Archive-name: internet-services/voice-faq
Last-Modified: 1996/2/23
Version: 0.4

FAQ: How can I use the Internet as a telephone?
Version 0.4 - Feb 23 1996

* This is a DRAFT FAQ. This document is in transition. If you
notice that software for doing speech over the Internet is  missing from
this list, or information herein needs updating, please send e-mail to
[e-mail] or [e-mail] *

This document is copyright 1995-96 by Kevin M. Savetz and Andrew Sears.
All rights reserved.  More legal stuff is near the end of this file.

For more information, visit the Internet Telephone Page at
http://rpcp.mit.edu/~asears/main.html

*** TABLE OF CONTENTS
Can I use the Internet as a telephone?
   How does it work?
   What do I need to call others on the Internet?
   How do I make calls using a modem?
   Is the sound quality as good as a regular telephone?
   Is there a noticeable delay in hearing the other user?
   What is the difference between full duplex and half duplex?
   What is multicasting?
   Can I talk to users of other phone software?
   Can I use my computer to call someone who has a regular telephone?
What software is available?
   For the Mac: Maven, NetPhone, CU-Seeme, PGPfone, Internet Phone
   For Windows: Speak Freely, CU-Seeme, Internet Phone, Digiphone,
                Internet Voice Chat, Internet Global Phone, Web Phone
                WebTalk, Intercom, Cyberphone, Powwow, Softfone
   For OS/2: VoiceChat/2, InterCom
   For UNIX: Speak Freely, nevot, vat, mtalk, ztalk, RAT
Where can I get more information?
Legal Stuff
Where to Find this Document

*** CAN I USE THE INTERNET AS A TELEPHONE?
Yes. In recent months, several programs have become available that will
let you, equipped with the right computer hardware, an Internet
connection, and special software, to speak (voice) in real-time over
the Internet - in effect using the network like a telephone.

Some of the programs available to do voice on the 'net is free, others
are commercial. Most of these products are ready for prime time, but
others are still very experimental.

+++ HOW DOES IT WORK?
It's magic! Audio conferencing programs work by digitizing your speech as
you talk and sending the digital data over the Internet. But there's a
problem: a typical modem connection has limited bandwidth - 14.4KBPS
modems can send and receive a maximum of 1,800 bytes of non-compressible
data each second. Telephone quality speech needs 8,000 bytes per second
of bandwidth. There are two solutions to the problem: get more
bandwidth, or compress the sound information before transmitting it.
Although both solutions are used, most programs compress the audio.

There are a variety of methods for encoding and compressing sound data,
and as you might expect, the standards aren't necessarily very standard,
yet. The quality of the audio you'll send and receive depends on the
application you're using, the speed of your computer and the compression
method used. In my tests, audio is usually understandable, albeit less
clear than a phone call. Still, talking across the country or around the
world for the cost of an Internet connection is kind of amazing, and
easy on the wallet.

You and the associate you are talking to need to be using software that
can transmit and receive the same protocol. That doesn't necessarily
mean you need the same software, or even the same type of computer. For
instance, the GSM protocol is pretty standard. However, some programs
can only use proprietary encoding methods, so they'll only communicate
with the same software on the other side of the wire. Standard
compression methods and transport protocols are:
     GSM: for more information: http://www.cs.tu-berlin.de/~jutta/toast.html
     CVSD
     RTP: Real Time Protocol: for more information:
http://www.fokus.gmd.de:80/step/employees/hgs/rtp/faq.html

+++ WHAT DO I NEED TO CALL OTHERS ON THE INTERNET?
Besides the software, you will need an Internet connection  You'll also
need a fairly speedy computer (25 Mhz).  Although the exact specs vary from
program to program, a Mac Classic or a PC XT generally won't do the trick.
Your computer will a sound card with speakers and microphone. All sound
cards will have a microphone jack in the back of them.

What do I need to do voice conferencing on the Internet with a modem?
All you need is a version of Winsock and a SLIP/PPP connection.  The bare
minimum for good quality sound is a 14.4k modem.  The quality of a 14.4k
connection will depend largely on the software and the error rate of your
telephone line.  A 28.8k modem should give excellent quality for most all
applications.

+++ IS THE SOUND QUALITY JUST AS GOOD AS A REGULAR PHONE CALL?
Surprising to most people, if you have a good Internet connection then
the sound quality is comparable to a regular phone call.  However the sound
quality varies dramatically between applications and depends largely on the
local capacity at each end.  In nearly all cases, the limiting factor will
not be the speed and capacity of the Internet, but will depend on the local
work at each end.  If you have a good local network connection then some
applications give sound quality significantly better than a regular
telephone call because they use 16 bit signals rather than 8 bit signals in
regular phone lines.

+++ IS THERE A NOTICABLE DELAY TO HEAR THE OTHER USER?
The answer to this also depends on the application and local connection.
For most applications, you might notice a delay if you try really hard, but
for good connections it seems be in the range of .01-.05 seconds.  A delay
over .05 seconds might be noticeable on the normal telephone system because
you will hear an echo, but calls over the Internet are sent differently do
not produce an echo.

+++ WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FULL AND HALF DUPLEX?
In a full duplex conversation, you can speak and hear the other person at
the same time.  In half duplex, only one person can speak at the same time,
and if you speak while the other person speaks, then you will not be able to
hear each other.  In these applications, you usually press a button to speak.
Most applications are starting to support both full duplex and half duplex
modes.  Your sound card will either be full duplex or half duplex, which
will control which mode you can operate in.  Most new Macs and many Unix
stations come equipped with full duplex sound cards, but most PC's do not.
When you load the application, if it does not let you choose full-duplex
mode, then you probably have a half duplex card.

+++ WHAT IS MULTICASTING?
Multicasting allows one user to send packets to several users for
conferencing. The M-Bone is overlay on the Internet that will allow one site
to broadcast to many users minimizing bandwidth usage.  In addition to being
used for voice conferencing, multicasting can be used to make the Internet a
broadcast service  to allow users to hear live radio broadcast or even see
live video of events like Space Shuttle launchings.

For more information, see http://www.northcoast.com/savetz/mbone/toc.html

+++ Can I talk to users across PC/Mac/Unix platforms?
Yes. Speak Freely and Cyberphone offers full compatibility between Windows
and Unix users. CU-Seeme and Internet Phone offers full compatibility
between Mac and PC users that are using the same application.

+++ Can I talk to users of other phone software?
Maybe.  To talk to others using different software you need to have the
same type of connection scheme and the same type of compression.  There
are two standards emerging for establishing connections that are emerging,
VAT and RTP which are compatible with each other.  Since VAT was the first
working voice conferencing program, many other applications have mimicked
its method of establishing a call.  Programs using RTP will use the same
connection procedure but will have added capabilities to control call
quality. Those applications that conform to the RTP/VAT standard include
Maven, Netphone, Vat, Nevot and soon Speak Freely.  GSM seems to be emerging
as the compression standard and is supported by Maven, Netphone, Speak
Freely, Internet Global Phone and Nevot.  There are also slight variations
between the compression algorithms that might still cause compatibility
problems. If you are using a commercial product with proprietary compression,
then you are out of luck because you will not be able to talk with others
because they want everyone else to buy their software.

+++ Can I use my computer to call someone who has a regular telephone?
Yes, but only on a test basis.  There is a volunteer project known as
Free World Dialup which allows people using Internet Phone to make calls to
regular phone network using a phone gateway. There's a mailing list for
discussion. To subscribe, send email
   To: [e-mail]
   Body:  subscribe [e-mail]

IDT has announced a similar service that will allow Internet phone users to
make calls into major US cities for 10 cents/minute, but it is not yet
available.

The Internet Telephony Project at MIT is being started by one of the authors
(Andrew) of this FAQ to look into the development of phone-to-phone and
computer to phone connections through the Internet.

*** WHAT SOFTWARE IS AVAILABLE?
+++ For the Mac
>>> MAVEN
Maven was the first Internet audio conferencing tool for Macintosh. Maven
is free software, but it is a bandwidth hog. Maven requires a minimum of
16KBPS, so even in its lowest quality sampling mode, it requires just a
little bit more bandwidth than a 14.4KBPS modem can give you. The
program can talk to other Macs running Maven, as well as the UNIX vat
program.  For those who have the bandwidth capabilities, it probably
offers the best sound quality for a Mac.

Platform: Macintosh, 16BPS of bandwidth
Encoding/compression: vat or Maven-proprietary
Features:  Full/Half Duplex
Negatives:  Uses more than 14.4k of bandwidth
Mailing list: send e-mail:
     To: [e-mail]
     Body: subscribe maven your name
Software: ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/packages/infosystems/maven
          ftp://ftp.univie.ac.at/systems/mac/info-mac/comm/tcp
Cost: free

>>> NETPHONE
NetPhone, like Maven, it gives an Internet-connected Macintosh the
ability to do audio conferencing. But NetPhone works over slower
connections, even with a 14.4KBPS modem. At a sampling rate of 10,000
samples per second, the sound quality isn't wonderful, but the voice of
my NetPhone compatriots are certainly understandable. There's a free
demo version of NetPhone available that limits calls to 90 seconds.

Platform: Mac LC or faster, 14.4KBPS modem
Encoding/compression: vat, CVSD, GSM
Features: User Directory, Full/Half duplex, Good Compatibility/VAT
compatible WWW Compatible
Negatives:  often has poor sound quality, demo only last for 90 seconds
E-mail: [e-mail]
Web page: http://www.emagic.com/
Software: http://www.emagic.com/
Cost: $75 per copy, or $125 for two copies. Free demo.

>>> PGPFONE
This product comes from the makers of the PGP encryption scheme.  It is
currently only available in beta format for Macs, but a Windows 95
version will be available soon.  The encryption scheme used in the
application is banned for US export, and because of current lawsuits against
the makers  of PGP, users outside the US must use a different version.  The
current version only supports full duplex sound cards.

Encoding:  PGP
Features:  Good encryption
Negatives:  Only beta version, Only full duplex sound cards supported
Web page: http://web.mit.edu/network/pgpfone/
Cost:  Free

>>> CU-SEEME  (Mac)
(see description in Windows section)

>>> INTERNET PHONE (Mac)
(see description in Windows section)

+++ For Windows
>>> SPEAK FREELY
Speak Freely is written John Walker, the founder of Autodesk.  It is
free and one of the best applications available.  It offers
many features more advanced than commercial software such as
voice mail, multicasting, encryption, and usually offers the
excellent sound quality.  Its GSM compression routine requires a high-end
486 or Pentium processor.  Will work for 14.4 modems with GSM, but sound
quality is degraded.  Current version is not compatible with other software
except for Speak Freely for Unix.  Version 6.0 will be compatible with the
VAT/RTP standard and will include DVI4 and L16 compression and will include a
user directory accessible from within the application and on the WWW.
The complete source code is also available.

Platform: Windows 3.1, 386 Enhanced Mode, Winsock, 14.4KBPS modem
Encoding/compression GSM, ADPCM, PCM, PGP, DES, IDEA.
Features:  Voice Mail, good variety in compression/encoding, excellent sound
quality, Full/Half Duplex, multicasting for conferences, WWW compatible
Negatives: sound quality is marginal over 14.4k modems
E-mail: [e-mail]
Web Page: http://www.fourmilab.ch/netfone/windows/speak_freely.html
Software:  Windows (http://www.fourmilab.ch/netfone/windows/speakfb.zip )
           and Unix
(http://www.fourmilab.ch/netfone/unix/speak_freely-5.3.tar.gz )
Voice Chat Room: http://rpcp.mit.edu/~asears/voice.html
Cost:  Free

>>> CU-SEEME FOR WINDOWS AND MAC
CUSeeMe is a project of  Cornell University for audio and video conferencing
over the Internet.  Sound quality is good, but might have problems with a
14.4k connection.  Viewing images is impossible at 14.4k and is slow and
28.8k, but audio conferencing will work without images.  Users can transmit
images using a camera that can be purchased for as little as $99, but a
camera is not needed.   One main advantages of CU-Seeme for audio
conferencing is that users can either connect directly to each other or they
can enter a conference at a reflector.  In addition, CU-Seeme probably offers
the best compatibility with other applications.

Features:  Good conferencing capabilities, and allows for video conferencing,
good sound quality, compatible across Windows/Mac, WWW compatible
Negatives:  Need at least a 28.8k connection
Web Page: http://cu-seeme.cornell.edu/
Listserv: Send message "Subscribe CU-SEEME-L Firstname Lastname"
          to [e-mail]
Software: http://cu-seeme.cornell.edu/get_cuseeme.html, Windows, Mac & Power
Mac

>>> INTERNET PHONE
Internet Phone runs on top of Internet Relay Chat, providing you with a
list of on-line users and topics of conversation, making it easy to find
new people to chat with. Quickly becoming one of the most used applications
because the software makes it easy to find others to talk to.  The main
disadvantage is that that the software is one of the few application that
only offer proprietary compression scheme, which makes it impossible for
it to be compatible with other applications.  The test version only allows
for one minute of conversation before it times out.

Platform: Windows 3.1, 33 MHz 486 or faster, Winsock 1.1, 14.4KBPS modem
Encoding/compression: Internet Phone proprietary
Features:  Excellent user directory, full/half duplex, low bandwidth demands
Negatives: Demo limited to one minute, not compatible with any other
software, Cannot make connections without using IRC
E-mail: [e-mail]
Web page: http://www.vocaltec.com/
          User directory: http://www.pulver.com/
Software: ftp://ftp.vocaltec.com:/pub (one minute demo)
Listserv: Send Message "subscribe iphone" to [e-mail]
Cost: $99

>>> DIGIPHONE
This is application just recently was made available.  Many who have
tested it have said that the sound quality is so poor that the application
is worthless.  Digiphone can come by itself or in a complete package
which includes a Web browser, E-mail, telnet, FTP, voice messaging and
caller ID. While it seems that they have invested heavily in advertising,
they offer no WWW distribution of their product.

Features:  Good integration with other Internet applications
Negatives:  not available on the Internet, not compatible with other software
E-mail: [e-mail]
Web page: http://www.planeteers.com/
Software:  None Available on the Internet
Compression:  Proprietary
Cost:  $89.95 alone or $149.94 w/ complete package

>>> INTERNET GLOBAL PHONE
Internet Global Phone is not a clean, ready-to-use application. In fact,
it is very much a work in progress. Internet Global Phone is a
"technology demonstration project" providing a code platform for two way
real-time voice exchange over the Internet. The details of the project
are documented in an article in Dr. Dobb's Journal in December 1994. If
you like hacking in Microsoft Visual C++, you too can hack on Internet
Global Phone. IGP currently lacks a real user interface, but it really more
useful for people to look at the source code in Visual C++.

Platform: Windows 3.1, 20 MhZ 386 or faster, 14.4KBPS modem
Encoding/compression: GSM
E-mail: [e-mail] (Sing Li)
Software: ftp://ftp.cica.indiana.edu:/win3/demos/IGP*
Source code: ftp://ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de:/pub/local/kbs/tubmik/gsm/ddj
Cost: free

>>> INTERNET VOICE CHAT
Internet Voice Chat provides almost - but not quite - real-time
communication. Unlike other communications programs, it doesn't send
sound as you speak -- it waits until you finish to compress and send the
sound. The result is a slower-paced conversation with frequent gaps.
(On-the-fly compression is planned for a future version.) Once the
shareware is registered, the program includes features line an answering
machine and call screening functions.

Platform: Windows 3.1, 386 or faster, Trumpet Winsock 2.0B, 14.4KBPS
Encoding/compression: Internet Voice Chat proprietary
Newsgroup: news:alt.winsock.ivc
Web page: http://futures.wharton.upenn.edu:80/~ahrens26/ivc.html
Cost: shareware, $25

>>> WEBPHONE
Webphone is produced by the Internet Telephone Company.  It is currently
available in a late Beta model, but the first full release should
be out in January of 1996.  It offers users a slick user
interface that looks like a cellular phone, but it is surprisingly
difficult to use. It offers advanced features such as voice
mail, WWW integration, multiple lines for simultaneous calls, a
message board for text communications, full duplex capabilities and a
user directory.  Overall, the sound quality is moderately good but the
user interface needs some work.

Platform: Windows 3.1, 486DX-66 or faster, 8 MB of RAM, Trumpet Winsock 1.1,
14.4KBPS, 256 color monitor
Encoding/compression: GSM
E-mail: None
Web page: http://www.itelco.com/

>>> WEBTALK
Quarterdeck has now released their first full version of Webtalk.  It offers
good integration with the World Wide Web, provides good sound quality.Other
features include a message board for text, a WWW user directory and it
provides compatibility with Windows Audio Compression Manager which enables
many different types of compression to be used.

Platform:  Windows 3.1, 486-50 or faster, Trumpet Winsock 1.1, 14.4KBPS,
E-Mail: [e-mail]
Web page: http://www.qdeck.com/qdeck/press/webphone.html
User Directory: http://webtalk.quarterdeck.com/
Cost:  Less than $50

>>> SOFTFONE
This application is provided by Silversoft.  It still needs a lot of work
before it will be very useful because the sound quality is not very good.  It
does offer a user directory, but it hasnot shown to work in our tests.

E-mail: [e-mail]
Web page: http://www.pak.net/softfone.htm
Cost:  $19.95 before March 31 and $49.95 after

>>> POWWOW
Although Tribal Voice's PowWow does not yet support real-time voice
communication, it does provide delayed voice communication and it
is one of the best personal communications applications on the Web.
It originally started as a text based chat application that allows
users to surf the Web together and view pictures of each other in
a personal atmosphere, but it has recently added voice communications.
If the voice communications are improved to support real-time
communication, Powwow would easily be one of the best applications
available.  Rather than being an entirely commercial endeavor, the
goal of Tribal Voice is to spread the Native-American culture through
the Internet.

E-mail: [e-mail]
Web page: http://www.tribal.com/
User Directory: http://www.tribal.com/wpsearch.htm
Cost: Free

>>> CYBERPHONE
Cyberscience's Cyberphone is currently released as a beta test.  It offers
useful features such as a good user directory, text chatting and user-to-
user file transfers.  It also provides excellent sound quality, and appears
to be a pretty good application. Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 versions are
available.

Platform: Windows, Unix
E-mail: [e-mail]
Homepage: http://magenta.com/cyberphone/

>>> INTERCOM
Telescape just recently release their 1.0 version of Intercom.  Although it
does not have user directory, it does allow integration with your E-mail and
file transfer programs, and you can display a picture of yourself for other
users to see.

Homepage: http://www.telescape.com/html/HOME-PG.HTM
E-mail: [e-mail]

+++ For OS/2
>>> VoiceChat/2
Voice chat software for OS/2. Voicechat/2 was the first Voice client for
OS/2, and it is no longer supported or updated. Despite this, it is a very
good package, and it is freeware.

Platform: OS/2 2.0 or higher, 14.4 modem
Web: http://cjb.ico.net/~dan/voicechat.html
Software: ftp://ftp-os2.nmsu.edu/os2/network/tcpip/vc2v1b1.zip
E-mail: [e-mail]
Cost: free

>>> InterCom
Intercom is a commercial voice client for OS/2. No more information is
available.

Platform: OS/2 Warp running on 8MB or more RAM (12MB recommended)
Web: http://revsoft2.is.net/ic/intercom.html
Cost: $29.99 (2 licenses)

+++ For UNIX
>>> CYBERPHONE (Unix)
See Windows Description.

>>> Speak Freely for Unix
(See Version information above in the Windows Section)

>>> NEVOT
NEVOT (Network Voice Terminal) provides voice communications using
unicast, simulated multicast or IP multicast, using the vat or RTP
protocols. Requires a high-end workstation.

Encoding/compression: vat, RTP, GSM, LPC
Platforms: SunOs 4.1, Solaris 2, Irix, HP/UX
Features: RTP/VAT compatible, good controls, WWW compatible
Web site: http://www.fokus.gmd.de/step/employees/hgs/nevot/nevot.html
          http://www.cs.tu-berlin.de/~jutta/toast.html
Software: ftp://gaia.cs.umass.edu/pub/hgschulz/nevot
          ftp://ftp.fokus.gmd.de/pub/minos/nevot
Cost: free

>>> RAT
RAT (Robust Audio Tool) is tool for multicasting audio over the M-Bone.  Its
goal is to provide a tool that adapts itself for different network
conditions, and it is RTP 2.0 compatible

Web site: http://www-mice.cs.ucl.ac.uk/mice/rat/

>>> VAT
Vat was the first audio conferencing tool for the Internet. Requires a
high-end UNIX machine.  The VAT standard for setting up a call is quickly
becoming the dominant standard along with RTP, which will allow users of
different applications to communicate.

Encoding/compression: vat
Platforms: Sun Sparcstation, Silicon Graphics and DECstation 5000
Software: ftp://cs.ucl.ac.uk/mice/videoconference/vat/
Cost: free

>>> MTALK
MTALK is an "very alpha" experimental voice-talk system for LINUX. It
uses low bandwidth (approx. 1 KBPS) and claims to work even on computers
with very low bandwidth connections. Requires a LINUX workstation with a
Soundblaster compatible sound-card.

Encoding/compression: unknown
Platforms: Linux
E-mail: [e-mail]
Software: ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/apps/sound/talk/
Source code: ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/apps/sound/talk/
Cost: free

>>> ZTALK
Simple, "Extremely alpha" voice software for Linux. Includes a voice mail
feature.

Encoding/compression: GSM
Platforms: Linux
E-mail: [e-mail]
Source code: ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/apps/sound/talk/
Cost: free

*** Where can I get more Information?
A complete and up-to-date guide to Internet telephony can be found
at the Internet Telephony page at http://rpcp.mit.edu/~asears/main.html

Al Wong has placed some reviews of Windows phone software at
http://www.primenet.com/~awong/service/announce.html

*** LEGAL STUFF
This document is copyright 1995 by Kevin M. Savetz and Andrew Sears. All
rights reserved.

Permission for the following types of distribution is hereby granted,
provided that this file is distributed intact, including the above copyright
notice:
     - non-commercial distribution
     - posting to Internet archives, BBSs and online services
     - distribution by teachers, librarians and Internet trainers
     - inclusion on software/FAQ/Internet-oriented CD-ROMs

Permission for commercial distribution may be obtained from the editor.
SHARE THIS INFORMATION FREELY AND IN GOOD FAITH. DO NOT DISTRIBUTE
MODIFIED VERSIONS OF THIS DOCUMENT.

This document is new and in transition. If you notice that something
important is missing, or information herein needs updating, please
contact the editor.

The editor and contributors have developed this FAQ as a service to the
Internet community. We hope you find it useful. This FAQ is purely a
volunteer effort. Although every effort has been made to insure that
answers are as accurate as possible, no guarantee is implied or
intended. While the editor tries to keep this document current, remember
that the Internet and its services are constantly changing, so don't be
surprised if you happen across statements which are obsolete. If you do,
please send corrections to the editor. Corrections, questions, and
comments should be sent to Kevin Savetz at [e-mail] or
Andrew Sears at [e-mail]  Please indicate what version of this
document to which you are referring.

*** WHERE TO FIND THIS DOCUMENT
This file is posted twice monthly (on the 5th and 19th of each month) to
several Usenet newsgroups, including alt.winsock.voice, alt.winsock.ivc,
comp.sys.mac.comm, comp.os.ms-windows.apps.comm, and news.answers

You can find it on the WorldWideWeb:
http://www.northcoast.com/~savetz/voice-faq.html
http://rpcp.mit.edu/~asears/voice-faq.html

You can receive each new edition of this document automatically via
electronic mail, if you are so inclined. This is a low-volume list, with
updates every few weeks. To subscribe, send e-mail:
     To: [e-mail]
     Subject: subscribe voice-faq
     Body: <ignored>

You can also receive it once via electronic mail (without subscribing to
automatic updates).
     To: [e-mail]
     Subject: archive
     Body: send voice-faq

You can also receive it via anonymous FTP:
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/internet-services/voice-faq

###end of document###