Need Direction in Communications

[indycoder_bucket]

Recently my step-father was deployed to Iraq. My mother here in America is looking to find a way to keep in touch without the use of expensive and short cell phone conversations.

Recently I picked up a headset and tried to get him setup with skype. However he doesn't have a personal laptop and his army issued laptop contains classified information and won't allow him to use skype on it.

So in short I'm looking for an alternative means of communication. It needs to be somewhat disposable. It will be facing the heat and sand and other conditions of the desert. Also it needs to be relatively cheap, or better yet-free.

I've read and heard about voip cell phones. If these are a good means of communication could this be a solution? I have a ventrilo server of my own and I heard that and a voip cell phone is all that's needed.

Any help is much appreciated.

 

[cybereclipse]

well a voip cell phone usually uses services like skype and require a exsiting cell phone line if I'm not mistaken

 

[indycoder_bucket]

Something like that could be viable. How could I set something like this up? Or are there any other alternatives?

 

[indycoder_bucket]

bump, I really need advice. My family is freaking out all the time worrying so much.