I would be curious if the standards mentioned include any cryptographic capabilities. The PGPhone people might want to look into producing a patch for the Intel (and later Microsoft) programs allowing encryption. (In consideration of fair use, I am both editing it down and putting on the same ad I see (I use lynx).) -Allen

[The New York Times]

_ Monday July 22 6:03 PM EDT _

Intel Unveils Internet Phone Application

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (Reuter) - In its quest to make the personal computer an indispensable tool, Intel Corp. Monday unveiled software that will make it easy to place long-distance phone calls over the Internet.

The Intel Internet Phone software is the first to allow users of different types of computers and software to link up, solving a problem that has held back use of the global computer network for long-distance telephone calls, even though it would save long-distance toll charges.

Intel's software uses a telcommunications standard that allows users of different computers and telephone software to talk to each other. Until now, people using the Internet for phone calls had to have identical software and hardware.

The software works on PCs running Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 95 operating system. Intel also has signed up 120 companies who have agreed to use the standard in new products.

[...]

Jeff Pulver, author of the soon-to-be-publisehd Internet Telephone Toolkit and chairman of the Voice on Internet Coalition, said Intel's breakthrough was that the software is based on open standards, not proprietary software, and so could spur growing use of the Internet for telephone calls.

``It's not that Intel is coming forward with a new product, but that Intel and Microsoft recognized the need for standards and have done something about it. Intel is the first company to actually deliver on a standard,'' Pulver said.

To insure its success, Intel is offering the software free starting Wednesday on its Web site -- http://www.intel.com/iaweb/cpc.

[...]

The most viable competitor is Netscape Communications Corp., which is incorporating a voice telephone feature in its Navigator 3 Internet browser.

[...]

``We believe voice telephony on the Internet represents a major opportunity for AT&T,'' AT&T spokesman Mike Miller said, adding that AT&T is exploring the area as a business itself.

[...]

Microsoft plans to introduce its version of Internet phone software, called NetMeeting, in September.

_Reuters Limited_