If Jamie Gotch (junior-computer science) wants to make a long-distance phone call, he can choose whether or not he wants to pay for it.

By using the Internet to make phone calls, Gotch can talk as long as he wants to anyone in the United States — without racking up a huge bill.

"It's free," he said, explaining why college students would use such services. "You can call long-distance without charge."

Ever since it became possible for people to make calls through their Internet service, college students have discovered they can stay in touch for a fraction of the cost.

As long as users have a connection to the Internet, a sound card, a microphone with speakers or a headset, they can use Web sites such as www.dialpad.com and www.net2phone.com to talk to loved ones.

"When you're strapped for cash and in college, the last thing you need is a huge phone bill," Lee Suravlas, spokeswoman for www.net2phone.com, said.

Using the Internet to make phone calls works by switching voice signals into digital codes the computer can understand, said Guohong Cao, an assistant professor of computer science and engineering.

But, unlike normal Internet use, where information is sent through a series of routers causing a delay, Internet phone calls require reserved bandwidth, he said.

"It's like traffic police," Cao said. "The police car in front will reserve a path. It reduces the delay because during normal talking you cannot tolerate even a short delay."

Mike Altieri (junior-computer science) said the quality has gotten better since he began using the services. This past summer, he used the Internet to call his parents in Pennsylvania while he was on an internship with IBM in North Carolina.

"I used it to call home because it's free," he said. Altieri added that college students would use the service because they have to make more long distance calls and are more likely to have computers.

The quality of this free service, however, is another concern and something that those in the phone industry say will keep them in the long-distance business, at least for a few more years.

"People would still rather have better service," said Briana Gowing, manager of media relations for Verizon. "We have not seen a big change yet. A lot of people are not going to switch."

Verizon is now testing its own version of Internet calling, she said.

In the future, using high-speed connections may replace normal telephone use, or at least reduce the cost of making a long-distance phone call. Phone companies such as Verizon see that technology could help lower rates and better serve customers, Gowing said.

Net2Phone is expanding the number of gateways, or hardware, that finally connects the Internet signal to a phone line, Suravlas said.

Right now, the Web site's most popular service is international calling at a fraction of the cost the phone companies charge.

Calling internationally from computer to computer is free, but then both users must have computers with the necessary hardware, Suravlas said.

Some users, such as Altieri, said using the Internet sometimes means static, pauses or hearing one's own voice, but that doesn't mean college students will stop using the service anytime soon.

"The quality is not that good," Cao said. "But, it's still free."