Broadband telephony on TV

Routing your phone calls over your broadband connection is now officially sexy.

At least, that’s one of the conclusions to be drawn when Voice over IP (VoIP), aka voice by broadband, goes under the glare of the TV cameras on BBC2’s top notch strand, “The Money Programme” (tonight (Friday) at 7 pm). The technology finally gets its prime time network airing in The Free Phone Call Revolution.

Because such an esoteric technology as VoIP is a difficult subject to bring to TV, this programme exposes a group of elderly Edinburgh technophobes to the system. Within a week, they are complete converts.

According to the Beeb – and something we have been going on about for ages – millions of people are discovering how to make free calls using their computers. New businesses offering free call services are signing up hundreds of thousands of users a day, and that's bad news for the giant telecoms companies who face a revenue crisis.

Says the BBC: “The Money Programme investigates the new so-called Voice Over Internet Protocol - or VoIP - revolution, and asks how the traditional phone businesses will survive? BT is responding with a £10b investment programme, and a range of new broadband services, but can it turn itself round fast enough to cash in on the VOIP revolution, instead of being swept away by it?”

* Since we are on the subject, also recommended viewing is Dylan Moran: Monster Live on Channel 4 at 10 pm.