Communication links and costs - Example 1 

You live in an urban area and you have a high-speed broadband connection

Then you can call your student’s fixed line using the Voice IP services of Skype.com or Inphonex.com – from anywhere in the world. The cost of calling France would be the same if you lived in the UK or in HK. You would pay about $US 0.0204 per minute. 

Call medium: Computer to fixed phone – over Voice IP.  (Or possibly fixed phone to fixed phone)

Comments: - Great if satellite or other technical conditions don’t deteriorate.  At times, the quality of communications does fade with adverse technical conditions,  in which case you will need to switch to another mode of calling. 

NB1: There are Linksys phone adaptors which could make this system more reliable. In this case, your medium of calling would be fixed phone to fixed phone. Alas there are costs involved.  If you are interested, don’t hesitate to ask us here at Linguistic Connections.

NB2: This service is only available to you if you have access to a reliable  high-speed broadband connection.   You country bumpkins may have to depend on examples 2 and 3!