I have heard the sound of a revolution and it's called Net2Phone. My wife and I were able to telephone friends and family in Canada, the US and Australia using a computer, a microphone, earphones and our Internet connection and the services of Net2Phone.

In fact, we went nuts and talked for three hours on the first day I installed the software. The voices were clear, with only some initial delay from the other end. Many of the people we called could hear a slight echo.

But hey. For ten cents a minute, who's complaining? The local telecommunications carriers of course. The technology is beating down their doors and they're going to attempt to block Internet telephony. My bet is they're going to succeed for a while but ultimately fail.

Companies like Cable & Wireless Plc, TeleBermuda International Co. Ltd. are going to have to get on the bandwagon to offset a decline in revenues or get left behind.

Meanwhile here's how to listen in to the revolution. Go to www.net2phone.com and download the company's software. Install it on your computer and follow the instructions to sign up.

I was up and calling within 15 minutes with an initial $5 on my account with Net2Phone, a Hackensack, New Jersey company owned by IDT, a national Internet and telecommunications company.

Net2Phone lets you call any conventional phone or fax machine in the world using an Internet connection. Voice quality isn't as good as with conventional phone service. The quality depends on your computer, the Internet computer and the kind of modem you're using. The better the modem, the better the quality.

You may get minor echoes, breaks, and variations in the voice.

The software puts a graphic of a cell-phone on your desktop when launched.

Make sure your Internet connection is open. Don't open your Internet browser.

Another piece of advice: don't fool around with the volume and other controls while in the middle of a call. Set up your options, then make the call. And definitely use earphones or the echo will be unbearable for those you call.

I like the company's rate card. Prices are listed as "From anywhere in the world to...'' I note that calling Bermuda is 24 cents a minute, still cheap for friends and family overseas.

Internet telephone calls are less expensive than traditional international long distance calls primarily because the calls bypass a significant portion of international long distance tariffs. The company uses Internet technology called "packet-switching'' to break voice and fax calls into discrete data packets, route them over the Internet, reassemble them into their original form for delivery to the recipient's regular phone line.

Traditional international long distance calls use "circuit switching'' which carries calls over international voice telephone networks, typically owned by governments or carriers who charge a tariff for their use.

Circuit switching requires a dedicated connection between the caller and the recipient that must remain open for the duration of the single call.

Packet-switching by contrast allows multiple conversations on the same line without interference.

Currently Net2Phone has a 30 percent market share of the Internet telephony market, according to research firm Frost & Sullivan. As of April 30, 1999, about 65 percent of the company's 250,000 customers were outside the US. They talk for an average of 60 minutes a month using Net2Phone.

Other companies also produce a similar product. Current offerings include VocalTec Communications' Internet Phone, QuarterDeck's WebPhone and Microsoft's NetMeeting.

Telecommunications carriers and equipment manufacturers, such as Alcatel, Cisco, Lucent, Northern Telecom, Dialogic (which is about to be bought by Intel), Motorola, AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, MCI WorldCom and Qwest Communications, have announced they are jumping in the market.

Internet telephony market is expected to grow to over $23.4 billion in 2003, from about $1.1 billion in 1998, according to researcher International Data Corporation. Another real benefit will be to electronic commerce. Internet telephony will allow customers to call the company immediately through their Web site and discuss a purchase.

What could stop this revolution? Governmental regulations backed by the vicious lobbying of traditional telecom companies. In the US, two regional Bell operating companies advised Internet telephony providers that these companies would impose access charges on Internet telephony traffic.

One of the companies also petitioned the Federal Communications Commission for a ruling that providers of interstate Internet telephony must pay federal access charges. A ruling is still pending. If the states start imposing access charges then the cost of Internet calls will become less appealing.

Then we're back to the status quo and consumers lose. So make yourself heard while you still can.

Boat owners and others who use the Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers and time-keeping devices should remember D-day occurs on August 20/21, 1999.

GPS equipment is used for land, sea and air navigation, mapping and accurate time-keeping. On August 21 the time counters on the GPS satellites reset themselves to week zero. Some modern GPS receivers and clocks have software to deal with the change, but many do not.

However, it's difficult to test to see if your equipment has dealt with the rollover according to Grand River Informatics Inc. in Canada.

Some machines are expected to fail or give false dates, times or locations.

Manufacturers have a Web site at www.sustainableworld.com/y2kgps/index.html to help users deal with the rollover and other Year 2000 problems.

Tech Tattle deals with topics relating to technology. Contact Ahmed at techtattle ygazette.newsmedia.bm or 295-5881 ext. 248 or 238-3854.