A communication apparatus and method includes a modem operable for connection to a telephone line, a voice receiving interface apparatus for use in receiving voice signals from a local user, and a voice conveying interface apparatus for use in conveying voice signals to the local user. Further, processing circuitry, operable under control of a graphical user interface program executable on a personal computer, may be, for example, operable to convert received voice signals from the local user via the voice receiving interface apparatus into outgoing digital voice information, compress the outgoing digital voice information into compressed outgoing digital voice information, and packetize the compressed outgoing digital voice information and provide outgoing packets based thereon. Each of the outgoing packets includes at least one header. The processing circuitry may further be operable to provide the outgoing packets to the telephone line using the modem, and receive incoming packets including compressed incoming digital voice information from the telephone line using the modem. Each of the incoming packets includes at least one header; the at least one header includes information used to route the incoming packets within the communication apparatus. Yet further, the processing circuitry may be operable to decompress compressed incoming digital voice information and convert decompressed incoming digital voice information into voice signals for conveyance to the local user via the voice conveying interface apparatus.