Still can't get used to the sight of BT competing with itself by offering web calls but it is doing so with enthusiasm. BT's Ben Matthews called on PCW Towers to tell us about the relaunch of its Broadband Talk service, which is being pitched for people who have a DSL link and want a second phone line.

New users get a VoIP-equipped modem; existing ones and users of other providers (including cable) can get an adapter costing £30. The effect is the same: you can plug in a DECT base-station and call VoiP from anywhere in the house whether or not your PC is on.

You can switch between VoIP and standard calls on the same handset by pressing 5; and you can plug another handset (or, presumably, a DECT base station using a different channel) into your main BT socket to provide the second standard line.

The VoIP phone gets an 055 or 056 number which can be called at standard rates from a PSTN phone. And this number supports features such as 1571, call waiting, caller display, three way calling, call forward and call reject.

There is the usual complexity of payment options varying with your date of birth and the phase of the moon. Basically PC-to-PC calls are free; for £2 a month (£2.99 for non-BT users) national landline calls are free in the evenings and at the weekend; for £7 a month (£7.99 for 'outsiders') this is the case all week.

Calls to mobiles start at 3.7p a minute and international charges are among the lowest available, Matthews claims.

There is much to be said for having both VoIP and standard calls available. It means you have a fallback if the web link goes down; and it answers one of the great fears about VoIP: what happens to 999 calls. PSTN lines are self-powered but VoIP usually depends on the mains, which may not be working during an emergency.