No this is not a sales pitch or marketing of any kind. I don't get any referrals if any one signs up. It is through Google Voice, I had never heard about it til someone told me. Just go to Google and type in Google Voice.
You get to pick out an alternate phone number. This is great if you put classified ads in the paper or on Craigslist. People can call but they do not have your home phone or address. It will ring your home phone and if no one answers it will send you an email with the message. You can read it or listen to it.
Now hear is the good part. There is a button marked "Call" - you enter the phone number you want to call and it rings your number and the other number. Pick up your phone and you are connected. You are NOT talking over the internet, it is a real phone call.
You can also send text messages to peoples phones.

Calls to US and Canada are totally free, no time limit, no ads to listen to, calls elsewhere have different fees. I have not paid any long distance charges since I found out about this. Gotta save money wherever you can these days

I forgot to mention this does not work well with dial up, you have to have a way to disconnect the computer to free up the phone line to accept the call. I am working on it as far as timing the disconnect just right. On everything else it works great. On dial up it is a good way to get messages while your computer is tying up the phone line.

My son calls me from from Japan all the time!
Since his schedule and the time difference is better for him I don't call. My rate wouldn't be free but it wouldn't be much. Google rocks!! :D:D

My son in Chicago called me using Google Voice. He loves it. Free too---at the time anyway.

The sound quality was great.

Forgot to mention that my son calls me free.