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Net Phones Taking Off in the Third World

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the save-a-buck-or-two dept.

dipfan writes "Internet telephone technology is surging in popularity and starting to make a big dent in telephone revenues in the Third World, for a simple reason: cost. A call from Honduras to the US over the net is just 5 or 10 cents a minute at an internet cafe, compared with $1+ a minute through a telco, reports the Washington Post, which compares the situation to the US where internet telephony "is used mostly by college students and geeks" who have the time and energy to install the software."

2 of 173 comments (clear)

  1. Re:There are more important things they need by xarfel · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    oh my...can we say crusade? help is what they need; love, compassion, and help...leave the dieties/martyrs out of it.

  2. Don't Say "Third World" by JMcJames · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Please don't use the term "Third World." It has roots in the 19th century racism and is derogatory at best. It refers to the time when Europe colonized much of Africa, Asia, and South America, and thought of the natives as little more than slaves or animals. A more accurate and humanizing term is "developing countries."

    Also, for what it's worth, technically Europe is the "First World," and North America is the "Second World" or New World.