# Dialpad **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 30, 1999, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialpad/4347 "1999-10-30T15:05:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chief\_Crunch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@Chief\_Crunch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Crunch)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 1999, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialpad/4347/1 "1999-10-30T15:05:00Z")
Wow, has anyone else tried this? [www.dialpad.com](http://www.dialpad.com) It’s a webpage that lets you dial actual long distance phone numbers from your computer online. It’s completely free. I was a bit skeptical at first, but I said the hell with it and tried it and it really does. Anyone have any idea how it works? Supposedly the costs have covered by ad banner revenue. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 1999, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialpad/4347/2 "1999-10-30T15:12:00Z")
They explain how it works on their site: [Dialpad.com](http://Dialpad.com) allows any PC user with an Internet connection to make phone calls from a computer and transmit them over the Internet to third-party IP telephony gateways. These gateways automatically relay the call to its final destination - any regular telephone in the US. The result is real time voice communication between any two parties. With the proven expertise in IP Telephony, [Dialpad.com](http://Dialpad.com) has invented a new, innovative architecture that allows our servers to handle thousands of concurrent calls. ---
**Author:** ![Satan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Satan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 1999, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dialpad/4347/3 "1999-10-31T01:04:00Z")
Yay! This thing is great! Just called my Uncle to talk about the Yankee series… FREE! The price is right… Thanks for listing it here… * * * Yer pal, Satan