Microsoft says several improvements to its MSN Messenger Internet telephony feature are now available to all users of the tool. The most notable of the changes improve the oft-criticized quality of the voice calls. It's also now possible, Microsoft said, to have voice chats through firewalls, typically a major challenge for voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP.
The improvements, made possible through a partnership Microsoft has with operator Level 3 Communications, were announced by MSN in April as part of the introduction of the latest version of MSN Messenger. Because the improvements use third-party software, there's an expected charge of a few cents a minute.