An alternative for Skype is available in the US. More information is
available at www.livephone.us

We've used "Stanaphone" to supplement our telephone.
Our area is unique because the internet provider requires telephone
service for the high speed connection.

The program download for the "softphone" is free, calls between
Stanaphone users is free, and calls in the US are less than $.02 per
minutes.

Quality is much better than the older version of "Bamba phone" and
others, even though it is half duplex. That is pretty standard anymore
using cordless and cell phones. I know when my parents canary was
singing they could not hear me talk. They were using their main
telephone back in the late 1990's.