Press & PR

Managing an event which attracts 8,000 participants and 250,000 spectators is no simple task, but according to the organisers of the Charles Regatta, it was made somewhat easier by using VoIP.

Coordinating the event on both banks of the Charles River in Massachusetts had proved a nightmare in the past, but the use of a temporary network for calls over the internet has been hailed a success.

Assistant director of the yearly regatta, Ben Hamilton, told Computer Weekly that adding traditional phone lines in the build up to the event had been a major "headache".

However, for the two days of the regatta each year, a VoIP service can add the necessary 15 extra lines with the minimum of fuss.

The flexibility of VoIP services, provided by suppliers such as Vonage can have real benefits for travellers as well as businesses.

Travellers can use the VonageV-Phone to keep in touch with home cheaply when abroad, while firms can use VoIP to improve productivity by letting workers stay at home and connect to office phone systems over the internet.