Voice on the Web » Skype Access

Skype WiFi – Skype Access Rebranded; Now on iPhone, iPad

Jim Courtney — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 14:40:04 +0000

Recently a couple of acquaintances who were leaving for Europe asked me whether they could use Skype for iPhone for “free” calling. The bad news: with high data roaming charges when outside the country on “foreign” 3G/LTE carriers, using Skype for iPhone has the potential to double the cost of their trip and create “bill shock” on returning home. The good news: put the iPhone (or iPad) in Airplane mode and take advantage of the rapid and pervasive growth of WiFi access points worldwide.

Skype for iPhone (and Skype for iPad) over 3G/LTE uses the carrier’s data, not voice, channel. At a minimum of $3.00/MB (if on a roaming data plan), one needs to make use of the stealth carrier, WiFi. And, if free WiFi is not available, use a service with a per minute connection charge without any data limit.

But how to find a WiFi access point?

Hotels, coffee shops, restaurants, airports, train stations and offices will tend to have WiFi access points. Some will be free, some will require a subscription service such as Boingo and some hotels may charge daily fees for WiFi access. Some airports will provide access via wireless services, such as T-Mobile WiFi at Frankfurt and Munich airports, at an hourly or daily rate.

One alternative, if you are a Skype user and have bought Skype credit, is to check out the availability of a Skype WiFi access point (formerly called Skype Access).

The bad news – yes it has a charge starting at US$0.06/4p/€0,05 per minute (may vary by WiFi operator) but you are only charged for connected minutes with no limits on the amount of data transmitted. Instead of being charged for 20MB of data for a 10 to 15 minute Skype call at, say, Rogers’ @$5.00/MB data roaming charge (total $100), you can pay as little as under $1.00 for the same call.

And Skype WiFi can also be used to check out Twitter, Facebook or some web browsing activity.

But where does Skype for iPhone/iPad come into play? Skype has announced the launch of an iPhone/IPad application, Skype WiFi, which will provide access to Skype WiFi access points at the same rate. Skype WiFi, the application, is available via the Apple App Store. Simply login and Skype WiFi is active; you will see a notification if you are near a supported access point – along with the charge for using the access point.

As stated by Skype WiFi Product Manager, Shadi Mahassel:

With the new Skype WiFi app, you can go online on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch (running iOS 4.1 or above with multitasking) at over 1 million WiFi hotspots around the world, including hotels, airports, train stations, convention centres, bars and restaurants. And with Skype Credit you only pay for the minutes you use. So, there’s no need to buy an hour or day WiFi voucher if you’re only looking to check your email or make a quick Skype call.

One caution: be careful to only open Skype for iPhone when you really need it; otherwise, especially if you have a large number of Skype contacts, you could drain your battery in 3 to 4 hours. (With experience to date, battery drain has not been an issue when using Skype for iPad.)

Bottom line: The service now called Skype WiFi (formerly Skype Access) provides not only a “last resort” WiFi access service but also can significantly reduce the cost of making “otherwise free” Skype-to-Skype calls while bypassing wireless carrier roaming charges. The iOS application called Skype WiFi extends this access service to use on iPhone and iPad.

Note that from 7:00 p.m. Eastern time Friday, August 19 to 7:00 p.m. Eastern time Sunday, August 21 you can try out Skype WiFi for 60 minutes at no charge. Otherwise you will need Skype credit to use the service.

When will we be seeing a similar application for Android phones?

And with a 6GB per month data plan, I’ll continue to use Skype for iPhone or Skype for iPad on my “home” Rogers 3G/HSPA+/LTE service.

Skype Access expands WiFi Hotspot Coverage

Jim Courtney — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 11:42:39 +0000

In a press release associated with its participation at Mobile World Congress Skype has announced an expansion of its Skype Access service to include eight additional hotspot operators. According to the press release:

With one click, Skype users can connect to the Internet through a WiFi operator partner in over 500,000 hotspots around the globe including 500 airports, 30,000 hotels and numerous cafes, trains, planes, offices buildings, and convention centers.

Rather than paying costly per day or per hour Internet access fees, Skype Access allows you to pay per minute using Skype Credit to control your costs at rates starting at £.04 /€.05/$.06per minute [including VAT]. All you need is a connection to a Skype Access compatible hotspot and the latest version of Skype for Mac or Windows.

Skype has arranged for free use of Skype Access across Spain (including at this week’s Mobile World Congress) for the week of Feb. 14 to 18, 2010 (using CET time zone). It would be interesting to know how many iPhone users are making Skype video calls to/from their colleagues attending the conference and the resulting load on the WiFi network.

At rates as low as £.04 /€.05/$.06 per minute Skype Access over these operators appear to be offering significantly lower than the $0.19 cents per minute charged for using Skype Access over Boingo with its over 200,000 WiFi hotspots worldwide (Boingo’s continued participation as a Skype Access partner has been confirmed).

The new Skype Access provider partners include:

BT Openzone – The UK’s largest WiFi hotspot provider with a network of two million hotspots
Fon – The world’s largest WiFi network with over 3.35 million Fon Spots across the globe
M3 Connect – WiFi provider in Germany with hotspots in many hotels, fairgrounds, airports and places like the German Stock Exchange
Row 44 – Provides the world’s leading in-flight broadband platform to commercial airlines around the world
Skyrove – WiFi hotspot solutions for Guesthouses, Hotels and Coffee Shops throughout South Africa.
Spectrum Interactive – Specializes in offering WiFi for the travel and media sector including airports and hotels across the UK
Tomizone – WiFi provider in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific
Vex – Offers WiFi services in thousands of locations around the world including South America

Bottom Line: Whereas the rates for using Skype Access over Boingo tended to make it a “last resort” WiFi access service (while avoiding costly carrier roaming charges), Skype Access has become a more accessible and reasonable cost alternative to travelers worldwide. On the other hand, when at a specific location, you usually have only one choice for WiFi carrier. At hotels and airports it represents an alternative to “daily” charges for short term access sessions during a stopover or brief hotel stay. Most importantly the WiFi “Unregulated Stealth Carrier” experience is now available to Skype users at over 700,000 locations worldwide.

Skype Can Now Get You Access to 500,000+ Wi-Fi Hotspots (mashable.com)
Skype buys a week of Wi-Fi for Spain (skypejournal.com)
Skype launches global WiFi hotspot program (gizmag.com)

Skype hits 145 million users monthly

Jim Courtney — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:32:00 +0000

A few days after CES 2011 and its announcements re Skype on mobile devices and Skype on TV, the daily maximum of Skype users concurrently online has quickly risen from 25 million to just shy of 29 million. Hudson Barton’s meticulous tracking demonstrates the long term growth of this statistic.

Last summer, when Skype filed for an IPO, they announced that, during the April to June, 2010 quarter, over 125 million unique users had made at least one call on Skype during the quarter. Today, with via a press release announcing a major expansion of the Skype Access WiFi service, Skype announced that over 145 million users had made at least one Skype call during the quarter ending December 31, 2010.

The number came with one caveat: “excluding users connected via joint venture partners”. One would have to assume this number does not include calls made via the carrier-specific services that use Skype, namely, Skype mobile on Verizon (with over 80 million subscribers to whom Verizon’s Skype mobile client was “pushed” to all supported phones) and the nine 3 services in Europe, Hong Kong and Australia.

Two questions:

1. What is driving this growth acceleration? Is it simply an outcome of the announcements at CES 2011? or is it virally driven by more awareness of Skype’s services? Is Group Video Calling contributing to this increase? Or, with over 10 million downloads in the first two weeks of its release, is it the launch of video calling on Skype for iPhone?

2. How many of these new subscribers are buying Skype’s revenue generating services? This was a major concern that arose out of the IPO registration document, where only 8% of Skype users were actually buying services such as SkypeOut, Online numbers and Voice mail?

Bottom line is that two different measurements confirm that Skype usage is on an accelerated growth path, at least during the first quarter of 2011. And, finally, it appears that Skype is measuring its growth by a more realistic statistic of “active” users rather than the total number of Skype accounts (now over 600 million) which appears to have resulted in about 80% of all Skype accounts created since 2003 having gone stale over time.

Skype for Mac 5, Skype for iPhone 3.0.1 – Upgrade Wednesday (voiceontheweb.biz)

SkypeKit: Now with Windows and Mac OS Versions

Jim Courtney — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:55:44 +0000

Three weeks after announcing SkypeKit for Linux, Skype has lived up to its commitment to provide support for Windows and Mac OS X.

What does this mean for future deployment of Skype access?

Basically the ability to embed Skype within a third party Windows and/or Mac OS X application without the need for the Skype client to be open. Whereas the target developer audience for SkypeKit for Linux is probably hardware developers, there is now an offering available for software developers. From Jonathan’s post linked above:

Today, Skype is taking the next step by announcing a new version of the SkypeKit Beta SDK that works on Windows (x86) and Mac OS X. Now multiple desktop applications can offer Skype conversations — including video, voice, and text — without the need for users to separately download Skype software.

Look forward to seeing the innovation, especially with respect to video, in deploying Skype Everywhere within these future third party offerings.

SkypeKit SDK beta gains Windows and Mac support (slashgear.com)
Skype’s SDK arrives in beta for Windows, Mac (download.cnet.com)
Skype Announces Mac, Windows Support for SkypeKit (pcworld.com)
SkypeKit to allow integration of Skype into all web-based devices (boygeniusreport.com)
SkypeKit: Easily Building VoIP Into Any Application (fastcompany.com)
It’s Been a Week for New Skype Video Experiences (voiceontheweb.biz)

Boingo Adds An “Apple Wireless” Option for WiFi-on-the-Go

Jim Courtney — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 01:28:32 +0000

In the past I have written about how WiFi is becoming the de facto unregulated stealth wireless carrier; I have also mentioned Boingo as a service that provides significant convenience when on the road, with its 125,000 access points at airports, hotels, restaurants, coffee shops and other public locations worldwide.

Over the past year Skype has added Skype Access as a feature of the latest versions of both Skype for Windows (4.2) and Skype for Mac (2.8) which provides another WiFi access option at the same 125,000 Boingo access points. It’s what I would call a “last resort” option in that its convenience also comes at a premium price starting at over $0.20 per minute. Obviously it is limited to work over PC’s, whether Windows or Mac.

Today there is a new option for Apple iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch owners only: purchase “Boingo WiFi Credits” via the Apple App Store. For $1.99 you get one hour of iPad, iPhone (or iPod Touch) connectivity over WiFi. Ideal for those who do not have a Boingo mobile account but occasionally need WiFi access at an airport or hotel to make a Skype or Truphone call. From the press release:

Consumers can purchase the $1.99 Wi-Fi credits in advance or at the time of connect simply by confirming the purchase using their iTunes account login. The credits can be redeemed for 60 consecutive minutes of Wi-Fi access at a single Boingo hotspot, and can be used at any of the more than 125,000 Boingo hotspots worldwide.

Apple mobile device owners can purchase as many credits as they want. Those users who buy credits in blocks of ten will be rewarded with an additional free credit. The credits are good for up to one full year after purchase.

Available under “Boingo WiFi Credits”, initially on the U.S. and Canadian Apple App Stores. An interesting alternative for those who do not need the ongoing access available through Boingo’s Mobile WiFi offering.

To summarize the various Boingo offerings:

For PC’s: Boingo Unlimited Americas, Boingo Global (subscriptions) or Skype Access (occasional use)
For iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch: Boingo Mobile (subscription) or Boingo WiFi credits (occasional use)
For all other WiFi enabled smartphones: Boingo Mobile (subscription).

Bottom Line: one more option to connect via unregulated wireless access.

Boingo Brings $1.99 Pay-Per-Use Wi-Fi To Apple’s iPad (gigaom.com)
Purchase Boingo Hourly Wi-Fi Access on iPad at Launch (jkontherun.com)
Buy Wi-Fi Access Through iTunes [Apps] (mashable.com)
Traveling in a Bipolar Mobile Mode (voiceontheweb.biz)
Coming Real Soon Now: Skype for iPhone over 3G (voiceontheweb.biz)
Apple’s iPad: Why iAttaché Would Have More Cachet! (voiceontheweb.biz)
Skype for iPhone 1.3 Released (voiceontheweb.biz)
Skype for Mobile – Now Focusing a True Skype User Experience (voiceontheweb.biz)

Skype for Windows 4.2: Enhancing the Skype Call Experience

Jim Courtney — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 15:31:17 +0000

Three weeks ago Skype made available the “Gold” release of Skype 4.2 for Windows. In the interim I have had the opportunity to experience many of its new features, several of which I have found improve the call experience in somewhat subtle but very beneficial ways.

Call Quality Indicator

This is what I have found the most useful new feature; it simply provides quick access to determine the conditions under which a call is being made. Before a call you can check your audio/video setup; click on “Check Settings” to bring up the device bar; click on a device to check that each of the mic, speakers, webcam (only if the Contact has a webcam) and computer speed are appropriately configured for making a call.

During a call you can continue to track call quality in the Call Bar; the network quality indicator on the right will also become active:

Should network connection conditions change the network quality indicator will turn orange or red and the number of bars will reduce. If you get a red exclamation mark you have a serious issue with your setup that most likely needs to be addressed. (The call in this case was to Skype Test Call; thus the gray “video” icon as Skype Test Call does not have a webcam.)

Note also that, at the end of every call, there is an opportunity presented to report on call quality. Responding, especially with less than best quality calls, certainly helps Skype to get a statistical handle on their performance.

But there’s one other unannounced feature associated with the Call Quality Indicator; click on the drop-down arrow to the right of the volume control in the Call Bar and you’ll find a menu that can lead to assistance with call diagnostics. Select “Call Technical Info” and a separate window will open up with a wide range of diagnostic information including the other party’s SkypeID, codec being used, jitter, packet loss information and, for some calls, the version of Skype being used by the other party. Some of this information has been readily available in previous 3.x versions of Skype; however, in earlier versions of Skype 4.x it always operated in a “flicker” mode which made it difficult to read. Only a portion of the information available is shown here; the “24000” sample rate means the call is taking full advantage of the 12KHz audio bandwidth supported by Skype’s SILK codec.

Skype Access

Skype Access was first introduced on Skype for Mac 2.8; now it’s available in Skype for Windows 4.2. When you enter a WiFi zone supported by Boingo (there are over 100,000 125,000¹ worldwide with the SSID’s shown at this link), a window will pop up indicating that Skype Access is available (simply by having the appropriate client on your laptop). While it’s not exactly the least expensive way to connect to the Internet (including Skype) via a WiFi access point, it does come in handy for those 15 to 30 free minutes during airport stopovers or in “urgent” situations where there is no other alternative.

(Full disclosure: the author has a Boingo account which is available at the same locations as Skype Access as it has proven to be a cost saver at hotels that have the alternative of an expensive daily fee or using Boingo. On the other hand even at these locations, the Skype Access window will pop open.)

From time-to-time Skype has a Skype Access promotion; one is occurring the weekend during which this post was published; the promotion offers free Skype Access from 00:01 GMT Saturday, March 20 to 23:59 GMT Sunday, March 21, 2010 (extended to 23:59 Monday, March 22 in the U.K. to assist travelers stranded by the British Airways labor disruption).

Ready for HD Video

Ready, yes, but we’re not there yet; the HD webcams equipped for this feature will not be available until later this spring. However, I have received some test calls demonstrating that Skype 4.2 for Windows does support HD Video calling using appropriately compliant Skype-certified HD video cameras from FreeTalk and faceVsion. To the right is captured a frame from a test call using a faceVsion camera; below is the call diagnostic information from a recent test call using a prototype FreeTalk webcam – 1280 x 720 is the key parameter indicating HD Video support. (Once again, these webcams will only be available later this spring on the Skype Store). That we are all going to love the experience of these HD Video calls is all I can say at the moment. Note the reference to the H.264 video codec that is embedded in the webcam; the associated video compression is done on the webcam itself to reduce the load on the host PC’s CPU during a call and the associated network bandwidth requirements.

Update: While the FreeTalk webcam call reported above was made Tuesday, March 16, Jason Harris reports on an HD Video call from Andy two days later using the same webcam in Coming Soon: High Quality Skype Video Calls With Everyman HD. (I did not want to embarrass Andy by showing the details of his facial stubble in the one frame that I captured during our call; recall that many actresses were wary of HD video when first introduced as it could show intimate details of facial blemishes. I’m sure the make-up industry has compensated by now.)

Call Transfer: Simply stated, Call Transfer, a popular feature of many Skype 3.x versions, has finally re-appeared in Skype 4.2 for Windows.

Brower Toolbars: Since the release of Skype for Windows 3.0 a Skype Toolbar icon for Firefox was available; concurrently there has also been available a Skype Toolbar for Internet Explorer. Basically it uses a Phone Number Recognition algorithm to locate phone numbers within a web page and Skype-enable them (essentially a Click-to-Call using Skype or SkypeOut). With Skype for Windows 4.2 this feature has finally become stable within Firefox (full disclosure – the author has been an external beta tester for this toolbar). In a subsequent post I’ll discuss how it can also be used to Skype-enable Skype contact names within a web page. Suffice it to say it has become a very handy tool, especially with telephone directory services.

Additional features: The release notes for Skype 4.2 also list several less significant but helpful changes that assist with the user call experience. For instance:

The video call button remains available even if there is no webcam detected
Improvements in video quality in low bandwidth conditions
Improved contact importers, including from GMail, Facebook, Hotmail and Outlook

But it’s still not “perfect”. The Release Notes and Release Notes Document include details of not only improvements and bug fixes but also a list of known issues that the Developer team continues to assess and track down. But there’s one 3.x feature for which I still would like to see support in 4.x – namely Skype Public Chats.

Bottom Line: With three weeks of usage, Skype 4.2 for Windows definitely brings an enhanced user experience, especially with respect to providing diagnostic information to help with call quality issues. Skype Access opens up one more option for road warriors to have Internet access for short sessions at airports or ‘’urgent” situations where no other option is available. And we still have to wait a few weeks for the webcams that will support HD Video support, setting new standards for video calling, but the final outcome will be well worth the wait.

Of course, now that I have a MacBook Pro as my primary laptop, I have joined those asking when the equivalent features (Call Quality Indicator and HD Video calling) will be available in Skype for Mac².

¹Shortly after publishing this post I received my monthly email advising me that Boingo is now supporting 125000 access points worldwide.
² I can continue to use Skype for Windows on my desktop PC or via Windows 7 running as a virtual PC on Parallels for Mac.

Full disclosure: In Store Solutions, producer of the FreeTalk HD Video webcams, has become a client of Denali InterConneXions, publisher of Voice On The Web, building on the author’s previous business development experience with establishing partnerships that can assist with the promotion of a primary vendor’s offerings. A more complete statement will follow shortly.

Skype Access uses your Skype credit to access 100,000 paid Wi-Fi hotspots (gadling.com)
Free WiFi with Skype Access this Weekend (chris.pirillo.com)
Download: Skype for Windows 4.2.0.152 Hotfix (skypejournal.com)
iotum’s Calliflower Conference Call Service Adds Skype Access (voiceontheweb.biz)

A Conversation with Skype CEO Josh Silverman

Jim Courtney — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:00:34 +0000

At last month’s CES I had the opportunity to meet with Skype CEO Josh Silverman and discuss various Skype issues that have arisen over the past year as well as where Skype is headed as a privately owned company. At the time I thought this would result in a normal text-based blog post outlining some of our discussion.

However, when I arrived for the interview I realized it would also be a good occasion to try out the HD video recording feature of a relatively new Canon SD980 camera. Over the past week I have been using a new MacBook’s iMovie and found I could edit it down to a fairly succinct outcome, having eliminated much of my own nervous glitches, personal comments and humming and hawing. Most importantly, Josh makes a much better presenter of Skype’s case than I could ever hope to do in reporting on the interview. The result follows.

In this first portion we talk about

Skype operating as an independent, private company and the role the new board members can play,
the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s participation as an investor (full disclosure – about 17 million employed or formerly employed Canadians have an interest in CPPIB investments),
what performance numbers can we expect to see going forward
the prospects for an IPO
what’s on the CEO’s radar as priorities for Skype
what’s going to be available for developer partners

(My apologies to fellow Canadians for not asking about Skype Online numbers in Canada but, given there are regulatory issues involved, I’d probably get the standard “we’d love to do it but…” response. For mention of a Skype service that is being expanded into Canada, see the second portion of the interview with Skype for Mobile VP & GM Russ Shaw.)

In the second portion of the conversation we covered issues such as

the growth of the Skype developer team
Skype’s evolving mobile presence, including Skype for BlackBerry and video calling on mobile devices
the launch of a formal Skype for Business program
Skype’s video calling as a new pop culture
Skype and the broadcast television market

Complementary to the “pop culture” discussion here, at Josh’s keynote presentation to the CES Innovation Leaders dinner, he spoke about how Skype video calling has brought to consumers the most effective realization of AT&T’s 1964 World’s Fair video calling vision where they introduced a very primitive video calling setup.

Bottom line: what can we expect to see from Skype in 2010?

a revitalized developer program built around a more comprehensive platform from which developers can, amongst other features, embed Skype into their applications
Skype access on many more mobile platforms as well as taking advantage of wireless carriers’ recognition of Skype as a mainstream telecommunications environment
expansion of video calling services, including a strong role in the introduction of Internet services as a feature on a new generation of television sets;
launch of a formal comprehensive Skype for Business program targeted at small-to-medium businesses
many more Skype video interviews on broadcast media – for example, Skype video (and voice) calling has been used quite extensively by several networks to facilitate communications with Haiti following the earthquake

This is the third of three Skype executive interviews that took place at CES 2010; the others:

Skype for Mobile: An Interview with Skype’s Russ Shaw

Jim Courtney — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:52:02 +0000

At CES 2010 last month I had the opportunity to record interviews with Skype CEO Josh Silverman as well as Russ Shaw, Vice President and General Manager of Skype Mobile and EMEA, and Matt Jordan, Enterprise Business Development Manager.

In this second interview Russ Shaw covers a wide range of questions about Skype on different mobile phones, the business model that complements wireless carriers’ goals and other challenges as Skype executes on its mobile component of “Skype Everywhere”.

In the first segment Russ discusses revenues from Skype for Mobile activities, execution on the Nokia agreement and the Sony Xperia, the challenges of working in the mobile ecosystem and carrier partnerships. Russ emphasizes that Skype for Mobile’s main goal is to get usage on as many mobile devices as possible as part of the Skype Everywhere goal.

In the second segment Russ discusses Skype for BlackBerry (announced last spring but still running a beta trial), their learnings from the beta and how to ensure a positive user experience. He then goes on to explain how Skype can provide a carrier partnership business model that, based on Skype’s experience with 3, can be a complement that builds a wireless carrier’s overall business. He then provides an analogy of how O2 used a freemium model to build their business around free offerings of music; free Skype-to-Skype calling is the basis of a freemium model for carriers. We go on to discuss Skype for Android in the next segment. This is followed by asking Russ to sum up what’s ahead for Skype on mobile smartphones.

But then I ask one closing question that would really support “Skype Everywhere” in a very common user situation; I can only supplement the discussion by pointing out that, when I get into my car, a Bluetooth-enabled BlackBerry is on my belt (with my Otter Box Defender case). And, during the discussion, Canadians will learn about one more Skype service coming soon to Canada.

Bottom line: Is 2010 the year we can access our Skype contacts worldwide from the majority of smartphones? How many carriers will really catch onto the “3” business model and adopt Skype as a formal offering? And will I be able to get into my car and simply say: “Call Russ Shaw on Skype” to make a hands-free Skype call from my mobile smartphone?

Update: As mentioned above Russ talks about the success with 3 using Skype and the Skypephone. Just prior to posting I learned that 3 has now logged 1 billion minutes of Skype-to-Skype calling. In their summary notes 3 states also that “Over 2m people use internet services like Skype on 3” out of their 4 million active UK customers. (BTW, this is not the only story I have heard about how Skype is helping to maintain communications with Haiti; I have seen a few Skype video calls as television interviews as well; probably makes for another story.)

Of interest: Russ has authored an article at Connect World, Mobile operators should co-operate with application and content providers to take advantage of the mobile Internet boom, where he discusses the issue of mobile operators working with VoIP providers to build their overall business where he supports the success with 3:

There is already some evidence that the entire discussion is based on a misconception, and that, in reality, using the Internet to make calls does not cannibalize the revenues of operators. Some operators, like Three in the UK, have already changed their business model. They are challenging their competitors by partnering with a software company, offering a popular application that allows mobile VoIP calls at no extra cost, providing their customers with a very tangible extra value and comprehensive user experience by integrating the application into a range of mobile handsets. As a result, the group of customers using these services generate 20 per cent higher margins than non-users, voice revenue being a key contribution to this. A survey undertaken in August 2009 revealed that users of this application used on average 17 percent more traditional voice minutes than non-users. Next to this, a comparatively lower churn rate and higher ARPU (average revenue per user) was one of the positive outcomes as well. [Author's bolds]

Other Skype executive interviews from CES 2010:

IM+ for Skype Brings Free VoIP Calling to BlackBerry (geardiary.com
Skype to BlackBerry users: Sit tight (download.cnet.com)
Google’s Android mobile operating system will become the second most-popular (robbiz1978.blogspot.com)
Skype on iPhone may signal end of voice plans (cbc.ca)
Reprise: Is WiFi Becoming the Unregulated Stealth Carrier of the Future? (voiceontheweb.biz)
iotum’s Calliflower Conference Call Service Adds Skype Access (voiceontheweb.biz)
Traveling in a Bipolar Mobile Mode (voiceontheweb.biz)
Skype for iPhone: Now Legally Available for Canadians (voiceontheweb.biz)
History Making Smartphone Skype Call During LeWeb Closing Session (voiceontheweb.biz)

iotum’s Calliflower Conference Call Service Adds Skype Access

Jim Courtney — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:34:21 +0000

Since its launch about two years ago, I have blogged several times about iotum’s CalliFlower Conference Calling service. More significantly I have used it for several conference calls of up to 25 people, including a couple that ran for over two hours. While permitting up to several hundred participants into a conference call, Calliflower’s primary unique feature is the “portal” created for each call along with the long term archiving of a call and its associated “portal”. Other features include:

access via the PSTN in over 100 cities in 30 countries (using phone numbers supplied by Voxbone)
ability to display (and share) documents supporting the conference call’s agenda
a common chat window, often used to share URL’s, provide information complementary to the primary discussion or even ensure all participants have correct spellings of key words used in the discussion
a complete service that supports the entire conference call process from initial invitations to the final archiving of the call
an iPhone client for setting up and accessing a CalliFlower session
sessions can be either private requiring invitations or public; the archived content of public sessions is searchable

Today iotum has announced the addition of Skype as a way to access Calliflower conference calls; from the press release:

Previously, participants could only dial into Calliflower conferences through PSTN access numbers, potentially incurring local charges. In regions or countries where no such access numbers are available, customers would incur long-distance and even international charges, or use up Skype-out minutes calling access numbers overseas. Now callers can access Calliflower through a Skype ID – CalliflowerSkype – or via a web button in the Calliflower UI, overcoming this disadvantage.

“We’ve had many requests from potential Calliflower customers who had no local access numbers, especially from parts of Africa, India, China and the Middle East,” said Alec Saunders, iotum CEO. “Now, as long as they have Skype, that doesn’t matter anymore.”

In addition, users gain from the better audio quality they will enjoy through direct Skype access¹, as well as from all the visual information, documents and presentations that are shared through Calliflower’s interactive dashboard. These tools go a long way toward improving understanding on international conference calls.

Available on PC, Mac and iPhone, Calliflower makes organizing and participating in multi-party calls simple and engaging. It allows participants to see the status of other callers and raise hands to request the floor, while also providing interactive chat, document sharing, intuitive conference controls, call recording, invitations and reminders, integration with calendars, and more.

On your initial access to a CalliFlower call you will need to add CalliFlowerSkype as a Skype Contact. But then recall that Skype allows you the option of using your Skype Online number or a designated mobile phone number as your caller ID for SkypeOut calls. When accessing a CalliFlower conference call on Skype, CalliFlower will look at your callerID in place of entering a PIN number to provide authentication for your access. iotum is looking at adding the ability to use your SkypeID as a participant identifier.

As with access in over 30 countries via the PSTN, Skype Access in CalliFlower is included in the monthly Premium service with a monthly charge of $50 for the first two moderators or organizers within a company and $25 per additional organizer.

Bottom line: Skype Access opens up lower cost access for participation in a CalliFlower conference call in every country where Skype is available. Incorporation of Skype access also fits into Skype’s “Skype Everywhere” goal. In this case calls can be accessed not only via Skype on a PC but also from any Skype offering on a mobile platform. This is enhanced for iPhone users where they will also find an iPhone client for setting up and managing a CalliFlower conference call.

¹I asked iotum CEO Alec Saunders to clarify the statement re improved auido quality; his response:

Better quality hardware. Skype users tend to be using better quality equipment than POTS callers. In particular most PC headsets have a better microphone than the cheap microphones in telephone handsets.
2. Fewer transcoding losses. Internally, Calliflower is VoIP. When a user calls Calliflower from the PSTN, those calls transit a media gateway where the media is transcoded and presented as G.711. Prior to the direct connection we’ve initiated, media coming from Skype would be transcoded at least twice – from Skype to the PSTN, and then PSTN to G.711. The result was a noticeable degradation in quality. Now Skype presents the media to us directly as G.711.

Skype Video Calling on Your TV? Maybe, Maybe Not: It’s Your Call

Jim Courtney — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:31:20 +0000

Skype’s announcement today of agreements to have television sets become end points for Skype video calls really raises a series of both user interface issues as well as social issues:

Do I want to be interrupted while watching programming such as a sporting event or Oprah?
Where is it more convenient to talk: via a TV audio channel open to the room or a traditional handset with its inherent conversation privacy and reduced potential to interrupt a roomful of family and/or friends?
Where do we want convergence? How much do we want to have application-specific hardware?
Do we want scenarios where all those in the viewing room are exposed to the call?
What clothes shall I wear while watching TV but enabled to be seen on a video call?
If Skype is introduced into TV sets, how far can the inherent intelligence and Internet connectivity be deployed in a way that encourages user adoption of additional features and services? (SlingBox in the TV?)
What Skype account(s) does one want to come via the TV? An separate account? A personal-use account? A business-use account? or combinations of these accounts. (For the Philips VoIP phone on our Rogers Home Phone service, we use a separate Skype account from my normal Skype “business-use” account.)

Why do I raise these questions? Consider three related user experiences I have had:

When the Turin Winter Olympics opened in February 2006, I happened to be on a Skype call to an acquaintance, Peter, in Sweden while watching the CBC broadcast of the opening ceremony in my office via my newly acquired SlingBox. He was also watching the same opening ceremony on Swedish television. Our conversation was intertwined between the original purpose of the call (to address some technical issues) and comments on the opening ceremony. It was an interesting experience but note that we were watching and discussing the broadcast while being able to watch it.
Recently Rogers quietly added a TV Call Display service that brought a feature of our Home Phone service to our TV set. Namely when someone calls us the caller ID information appears along the bottom of the TV screen along with options to Send to Voice Mail, Snooze (disable the call notification for up to 2 hours) or change the TV Call Display settings. Bottom line: it’s a minimally obtrusive service that actually provides call information prior to the phone(s) ringing and let’s you have options for dealing with the call without leaving your viewing chair.
It’s real handy to have a PVR service that continues to record a program while viewing other programs; the other service that comes handy when there are conflicting sports events is Picture-in-Picture.

Skype’s TV Video calling currently has to be in an early adopter (or launch) phase. It simply replaces the currently viewed program with the video call taking over the screen and effectively becomes another Skype client. (More Skype Everywhere?) Obviously the TV set has to be both “intelligent” and Internet-enabled; this explains both why the HDMI 1.4 cable specification includes the ability to incorporate an Ethernet connection and why new higher performance intelligence has to be introduced into TV sets (or cable set-top boxes).

But, partially based on my experiences described above, for a fully featured user experience we need to see:

On-screen notification of a call while watching a broadcast program along with options to take the call or send it to a voice mail (or video mail) service.
Ongoing recording of the currently viewed TV program in background on the PVR while on the call.
Picture-in-picture integration to allow a viewer to monitor a program while on a call (or switch between the program and calling party as the primary display content).
Multi-party calling (is this a potential revenue generating service for Skype?)
Forwarding/transferring of the voice channel of the call to another Skype-enabled device such as the RTX 3088 Dualphone or mobile smartphone, or forward both the voice and video channels of the call to a Skype client on a PC.
Chat or text messaging capability.

Given the size of the somewhat saturated HD television set market it needs new features to go beyond simply HD capability; using the TV as a Skype end point becomes one option to enhance the TV feature set. From the user perspective, on the other hand, it becomes one of many choices for handling (Skype) conversations. It certainly adds to the “Skype Everywhere” theme but how far do we want “everywhere” to go?

Bottom line: going forward we are going to see a range of attempts at convergence of our communications. But we are left with many questions:

How much intelligence do we need within our “end point” devices? (I just acquired a Blu-Ray player that has an active Ethernet connection for firmware updates and additional content information delivery).
Should the Skype intelligence be in TV sets or does it make more sense (and for broader distribution of Skype) to have the Skype intelligence in a set-top box, such as our Scientific Atlanta Explorer box?
What additional services would intelligence in the TV or cable set-top box could be delivered by the cable service providers?
How intense will the competition become between TV set manufacturers and cable set-top box manufacturers to control the intelligence behind these services? What can the set manufacturers and the cable companies see as business models for these competing offerings?
Can this video calling intelligence be brought to mobile smartphones? Do we need LTE or 4G networks to make this happen?

At a minimum, the introduction of Skype’s TV client gives us talking points for the upcoming CES 2010 later this week.

Additional links and information:

Share Skype Blog: Get Skype on your TV

LG Electronics to Unveil Broadband HDTVs With Embedded Skype Capability

Skype and Panasonic Announce Collaboration to Add Skype Software to Viera® HDTVs

Brad Stone, New York Times: A Venture Integrating Skype Into the Family Room

And, as for the Hockey Picture on the captured TV screen: tonight Canada will be defeating the U.S. for World Junior Hockey supremacy once again…. fortunately I will be able to watch it live on my flight to Las Vegas. Something to do in this era of minimalist carry-on luggage.

History Making Smartphone Skype Call During LeWeb Closing Session

Jim Courtney — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:44:36 +0000

At about 5:30 (GMT+1) this afternoon members of the Skype Public Chat discussion learned that not only was there a new beta version of Skype for Windows 4.2 available for download but also Skype had released its first beta version of Skype for Symbian (for Nokia smartphones).

Shortly afterwards, while listening to the final Gillmor Gang panel session at LeWeb, I downloaded, via the event’s WiFi network, and installed the newly available Skype for Symbian beta onto a Nokia E71 that I use on Spain’s Vodafone for emergency calls during my trips to Spain. As an initial test I then sent out a few initial Skype Chat test messages. While there were some long delays I finally did receive responses to these messages..

I then realized that the LeWeb official blogger sitting next to me had a Nokia smartphone and asked her to install Skype for Symbian on her N96. About five minutes later, as Michael Arrington of TechCrunch fame was chiding Apple for not supporting VoIP over 3G networks, I made a successful Skype-to-Skype call between my E71 and her N96. While this call went across LeWeb’s WiFi network, the irony here is that Skype for Symbian is a complete VoIP client on a mobile smartphone and, according to Skype’s blog post:

Skype for Symbian works over Wifi or 3G data connection. We recommend having a unlimited data plan when using 3G connection.

I followed up with a successful Skype call to Andy Abramson at his hotel in Madrid, Spain where the voice quality was excellent in spite of the event’s background audio of the panel session.

My LeWeb deskmate has a Vodafone Netherlands voice and data plan and will let me know when she returns to Amsterdam this weekend if she can make Skype calls over Vodafone Netherland’s 3G network.

Skype for Symbian beta is claimed to be a “limited” beta; however, it supports:

Free Skype-to-Skype calling
Call phones with Skype credits or subscription
Receive calls on your Online Number
Instant Messaging
Group conversations
File sending and receiving

The important bottom line here is that Skype has finally released a mobile smartphone client that supports both 3G and WiFi from a full VoIP client with no intermediary servers as has been used on the 3 Skypephone over the past two years. Its use over the data plans of wireless carriers will test several aspects of smartphone services:

Will carriers attempt to block VoIP clients’ services that bypass their inherent voice channel?
Will smartphones have sufficient battery life to support a full day’s use of a VoIP client over a 3G network?
How much data would be used during an average day’s use of Skype? (While many carriers claim to offer “unlimited” data plans, there are actually monthly caps of 5GB or more.)
Where does a full Skype client provide an economic advantage over various voice plans, especially when it comes to making calls while roaming?

During my recent trips to Europe I have made heavy use of Skype for iPhone (and sometimes Truphone) over WiFi access points. Given the high charges for data while roaming, Skype for Symbian is still not a service that I would use over a “roaming” 3G network but I would continue to look for WiFi access points in hotels, restaurants and airports to access Skype on the supported phones. However, in my home country I can expect to make Skype calls from anywhere in Rogers 3G coverage areas using their relatively inexpensive data plan at little or no additional cost.

Update: Phil Wolff has more details and some caveats about this initial Skype for Symbian beta version over at Skype Journal.

Skype for iPhone: Now Legally Available for Canadians (voiceontheweb.biz)
Skype Beta Calls on Symbian Phones (gigaom.com)
On iPhone, Apple Still Not Allowing VoIP Calls over 3G (gigaom.com)
AT&T has change of heart about VoIP over 3G for the iPhone (arstechnica.com)

Skype for Mac 2.8: Handy New Features Finally Go Gold

Jim Courtney — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:21:57 +0000

Earlier today, Skype released to its Mac users Skype for Mac 2.8, following two beta releases over the past seven months (here and here). To summarize its feature set:

Includes Skype’s SILK codec, offering not only 12KHz audio bandwidth for clearer voice calls but reduced Internet bandwidth demands. Effectively with this release SILK calls can be cross-platform between Skype’s Windows 4.x and Mac 2.8 clients.
Screen sharing: using the Skype video channel, Skype’s screen sharing feature allows a user to share a portion or all of his/her desktop with one other party. No, it’s not a threat to Skype’s partners offering managed multi-party web conferencing services. Once again it’s simply an additional communications mode supporting a one-to-one Skype voice and/or chat conversation. Since it uses Skype’s video channel, it does not work during a Skype video call; nor can the call involve more than two participants. But three comments, having now used this feature several times in both Skype for Windows 4.1 and Skype for Mac 2.8 beta:
- It’s very handy for complementing voice and chat conversations; simply click on the desktop sharing icon and the other party sees (a portion of) the desktop in his/her Skype client – but it can be expanded to a separate window or full screen.
- It does allow sharing of streaming video services, such as YouTube, running on the desktop
- It’s really driving awareness of the potential to do screen/dekstop sharing to a much broader user base than any of the web conferencing services have reached. These services see Skype video as an awareness generator for the potential of managed, multi-party desktop sharing services.
Skype Access: if you’re on the road and desperate for an ad hoc WiFi connection, Skype Access provides per minute access services via Boingo. But if there is no free service in your hotel, restaurant or coffee shop and you don’t already have a Boingo account, then it becomes an alternative when you really need to connect. Charges are made against your Skype credits.
Other new features now available to all Skype for Mac users include:
- Follow friends’ and your own Mood Messages through a Mood Message chat session
- Create “notes” for each of your Skype contacts – useful as a very basic customer relationship management tool, for instance.
- Prioritization of your concurrent chat sessions in the Chat window; especially useful when you have more than ten concurrent chat sessions going.
- Quick Add for adding contacts to a chat session; simply type a name into the Quick Add search bar and it’s there. A feature I hope we can also soon see in Skype for Windows.
- Hidden avatars for incoming contact requests. Peter Parkes says it most discretely: “A small minority of Skype users have profile pictures which others may find unpleasant, and so they’re now hidden by default in contact requests.”

Amongst PC platforms I find Skype is most intuitive and most easily accessed via the Skype for Mac client; these features certainly enhance the management and versatility of options during Skype conversations.

Will AT&T’s Randall Stephenson Mobilize Skype?

Jim Courtney — Wed, 27 May 2009 19:45:31 +0000

We all know that Skype for iPhone currently requires that you be at a WiFi access point in order to make a Skype call from the iPhone, even though it supports 3G data. So, when highly respected technology reporter Larry Magid, attending today’s D:AllThingsDigital conference, sends out the Tweet, shown to the right, quoting AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, many questions arise:

Has AT&T heard that Skype really provides communications software? I think that is the message that Skype President Josh Silverman has been trying to deliver when he states, “software will drive the future of real time communications innovation and efficiencies going forward, not the existing telcos”
Is failure to allow Skype for iPhone to run over AT&T’s 3G network a tacit admission that AT&T continues to suffer from 3G data network capacity and quality issues? Once again my most recent trip roaming on AT&T in Chicago four weeks ago demonstrated nothing to say service availability and robustness has improved over my previous experiences in PA, WV, VA, NC, SC, CA and NV.
Is AT&T’s response to SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone (or BlackBerry) one more challenge to, or subtle admission of, AT&T’s network quality and robustness issues. Is the following statement a cover-up for their failings:

“Slingbox, which would use large amounts of wireless network capacity, could create congestion and potentially prevent other customers from using the network,” an AT&T representative said in e-mail to reporters. “The application does not run on our 3G wireless network. Applications like this, which redirect a TV signal to a personal computer, are specifically prohibited under our terms of service.”

I would invite Mr. Stephenson to Canada where I can demonstrate Rogers’ high quality 3G GSM data network that:

has robust and reliable 3G data coverage in not only major population areas but also all our major tourist and recreation areas (Whistler, Central Ontario, Tremblant, etc.)
is always there when I expect it
has no issue with using SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry (and has made no issue with SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone either)
Rogers is offering its Rocket Stick mobile data service over its 7.2Mbps 3.5G HSPA network, placing additional demand on their network capacity.

Bottom Line: Sorry, Randall, but AT&T has a long way to go to show that they understand the real potential of, and that they’re serious about, their mobile business.

For more amusement check out John Paczkowski’s report on Walt Mossberg’s Q&A with Randall Stephenson at D7.

Update: Om Malik reports this afternoon at GigaOm: AT&T Moves Up Its LTE Rollout, Admits To Network Issues. Seems that AT&T is finally admitting they have some issues to address.

Have You Tried SlingPlayer for the iPhone? (chris.pirillo.com)
WiFi: The Real Threat to the Mobile Carriers (voiceontheweb.biz)
SlingPlayer for iPhone Arrives…Partly (netnewsdaily.com)
AT&T Says Its Network Can’t Keep Up With All The Cool Stuff You Can Do With The Smartphones It Sells (techdirt.com)
AT&T Uses Semantics to Justify Locking Down SlingPlayer For iPhone [At&t] (gizmodo.com)
Canadian Experience with Skype Access and Boingo WiFi (voiceontheweb.biz)

3 Pushes the Envelope Once Again: Offers Obligation-Free Skype Mobile Services

Jim Courtney — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 19:58:28 +0000

Hutchison-Whampoa’s 3 service in the UK has been the pioneer in offering Skype access and other data-based services, such as SlingPlayer, at low cost. For as little as £10 per month, one could have almost unlimited Skype calling and text messaging on the Skypephone and other selected mobile smartphones. Already 3 has said they are delivering over 1.5 million minutes of Skype-to-Skype calling per day. However, earlier this week 3 announced they were pushing the envelope for free Skype calling even further.

Effective May 1, 3 subscribers will be able to purchase a special 3G SIM card which will allow the user to download Skype software and start making calls to Skype users worldwide with no minimum monthly payment obligations. Come summer 2009, 3 will expand the availability of this offer; from the same press release:

During the summer, 3 will expand its offer making it possible for anyone with a compatible unlocked 3G handset in the UK, to take advantage of free Skype calls, whether or not their phone is from 3. Anyone that wants to talk on a mobile for free will be able to use a Skype-enabled 3 SIM to make and receive totally free Skype-to-Skype calls and to use Skype’s instant messaging (IM).

Basic cost of the SIM will be £1.99; revenue will be generated via associated pay-as-you-go or 3’s other mobile phone services contract offerings. In addition new subscribers will have to purchase one of the supported phones, such as a Skypephone 2 (or, later this year, a new Skypephone 3 which is speculated to have a QWERTY keyboard).

According to 3’s website, their focus from the beginning has been to provide services built around their purpose-built data network using the HSDPA protocol. And, of course, any VoIP-based service requires a high speed data network. However, questions remain:

What will be the impact on handset battery life? This has been a major factor hindering the provisioning of VoIP over 3G networks.
Will this service be available to 3’s UK customers when they are roaming in other 3 countries, such as Austria, Denmark, Italy, Sweden and Ireland?
Which smartphones will be able to take advantage of the expanded offer coming in the summer? Does this mean i can bring my BlackBerry to the UK, buy the 3 SIM, and have free Skype-to-Skype calling while in the UK (or even other 3 countries) and using 3’s service for other calling, messaging, email and browsing requirements?

A hint of 3’s business reasoning is given further down the press release where they provide some information on existing services:

3 UK has found that regular Skype users:

Are less likely to churn than non-Skype users

Use more traditional voice minutes than non-Skype users in addition to calling their Skype contacts

Use Skype IM, but also send more SMS than non-Skype users

Are more likely to browse the internet on their mobile

Are higher margin customers

Are twice as likely to access social networking sites as non-Skype customers

In addition, with the support of SkypeOut calling from 3’s various Skype-enabled phones, one can expect that 3 will share with Skype revenues resulting from SkypeOut minutes generated by this change in services.

3 is also lobbying within the EU for reduced termination charges and “fair pricing for roaming”. In practice they are really pointing out, very pragmatically, that a wireless carrier can generate significant customer recruitment levels, satisfactory revenues and improved ARPU when adopting Skype support with properly structured services.

Which raises a cost advantage of 3’s obligation-free Skype-to-Skype calls and chat messaging: there are no termination charges involved. Skype’s secure peer-to-peer technology has essentially eliminated the need for termination charges along with the associated business development, call record tracking and billing infrastructure costs.

At last fall’s Mobilize 08 Conference organized by GigaOm, 3’s Frank Meehan, Director & GM, 3G Handset and Application Group, stated (hat tip to Om for the reminder):

The Skype phone makes us more margin than any other phone in pre-paid with the exception of the iPhone. About 65 percent of the UK market is prepaid and only 5 percent of those are using data. Smartphones are not as relevant. We also have a massive churn in prepaid in all markets where prepaid exists. So we basically told people, if you spend 10 pounds a month and top it off every month, you get Skype for free. That’s driven incredible loyalty to the device. We have a huge level of top-offs and we’re seeing growth on voice and text on those devices.

3 is certainly providing wireless carrier leadership in the adoption of Skype as a mobile accessible service, demonstrating that there is a business model for the wireless carrier that not only drives subscriber recruitment but also can generate increased ARPU (and revenues) while lowering the overhead costs associated with supporting international calling. Would it be fair to also say that it has the potential to drive down international roaming charges?

Skype Without a Personal Computer

Jim Courtney — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 11:38:32 +0000

I follow several forums about Skype, for instance at LinkedIn and on eCademy. Recently I have noticed a thread on the LinkedIn Skype for Business Group asking about using Skype without a PC. While eventually I intend to have more detailed information in response to such a question in the reference content on this site, let me summarize what is available as of today. The sales channels for these products are largely through the Skype Store (which is country-specific). Unfortunately several players who had good offerings have abandoned their Skype hardware offerings over the couple of years; however, we are starting to see the emergence of new devices.

Mobile Phones

Update: March 1, 2010: Access to Skype on mobile smartphones has evolved to several platforms; there are several posts that provide an update to what is stated below:

Skype for Mobile – Now Focusing on a True Skype User Experience includes a summary table of options, as of March 1, 2010, for running Skype on mobile smartphones.
Skype for iPhone: Now Legally Available for Canadians

Update: May 30, 2010: Skype for iPhone now works over GSM 3G/HSPA+ networks:

Obviously the most popular is Skype for iPhone. With over 1 12 million downloads since its introduction in late March 2009 earlier this week, the major caveat is that you need either an iPod Touch (with a microphone accessory) or iPhone. In both cases you also need to be at a WiFi access point to take full advantage of Skype’s voice and IM features; however, you can also use Skype IM (presence and text chat) on the iPhone using a carrier’s 3G or 2G/EDGE data plan (but not voice). Currently Skype for iPhone is not available in Canada pending resolution of a patent licensing issue. Skype for iPhone does require that the application be open in order to received messages and Skype calls.

Skype Lite for Nokia has been replaced by Skype for Symbian.

Skype has also been developing Skype Lite for a wide range of Java-enabled phones, including the Nokia N- and E-series phones. Again one can use Skype IM (presence and text chat) for those phones that support a WiFi connection (such as many of the Nokia N- and E-series smartphones). But for voice, one needs a carrier for which Skype is setting up arrangements in ten countries. Skype announced earlier this week that a Skype Lite for BlackBerry will be available in May, 2009.

As mentioned in the first update post above, Skype for Windows Mobile has been withdrawn.

Skype for Windows Mobile has been available for several years, recently released version 2.5 and demonstrated the Skype for Windows Mobile 3.0 beta. They recommend its use via WiFi access points; however, its use on a Windows Mobile smartphone over 3G may have performance limitations, especially with respect to battery life.

If you are in one of the nine countries served by 3 as a carrier, you will find the Skypephone 2 available as well as a few other devices that supports Skype operation. Later this spring Skype will appear embedded into Sony Xperia X1 and new Nokia smartphones.

There are two third party solutions that I have used quite often: iSkoot (BlackBerry, several Nokia smartphones) and IM+ for Skype (BlackBerry, iPhone/iPod Touch, a few Nokia smartphones). On the BlackBerry they can take advantage of the inherent background processing to allow Skype chat sessions to remain active while executing other applications; they also require both a voice and data plan (2G or 3G GSM) in order to complete voice calls; chat sessions are supported over a WiFi connection.

There are several other third party offerings which provide Skype access, including Truphone (iPhone, BlackBerry, some Nokia models), Fring (iPhone, some Nokia) and Nimbuzz (iPhone). Suffice it to say that, while one can carry on conversations via these services while dealing with user interface, performance and/or call quality issues, the best service level is achieved from a service where Skype has full control of the software and network connections.

Skype’s strategy for mobile was recently outlined by Skype COO Scott Durchslag.

Dual Mode Phones

About two years ago several hardware vendors introduced dual mode PC-free phones that allow you to connect to both Skype via a broadband Internet connection and the PSTN. However, currently these devices are undergoing a transition as Skype restructures, the only phone that is readily available today is the Philips VOIP3211 which can be found for several countries via the Skype Store. Update, Fall 2009: The only dual mode phone that is readily available as of fall 2009 is the RTX 3088 Dualphone; feedback here. The one caveat for these phones is that they support voice and presence but have no chat capability.

IPEVO also offers their Skype Desktop Phone S0-10, which only provides Skype calling over an Ethernet connection into a router.

Skype Video Phone

I recently received an evaluation ASUS Eee Videophone AirGuru SV1, which provides support for both Skype voice and Skype video calling along with presence information (no chat). My few conversations with it have been quite satisfactory and the user interface provides easy setup of calls. Basically all operations are done via a five-way trackball where you have up/down/right/left to navigate and a central push button to perform an action. While it is basically a video speakerphone, there are headphone jacks on the rear.

To get started you simply plug it into an Ethernet port on a router or switch with a minimum broadband Internet service and enter the setup routine to provide your Skype account information. Optionally it also supports WiFi access if you are not attached via an Ethernet connection.

WiFi Phones

These are again available via the Skype Store with models provided by Netgear and Belkin that support voice and presence. I have never been a fan of the Skype WiFi phones, especially from a price/performance perspective, as they have very limited functionality and have found them to have battery life issues amongst other problems. But some people seem to like them. More recently IPEVO has offered their WiFi Phone for Skype S0-20.

Others

Skype can be found on the Nokia N800 and N810 N900 small tablet handsets; Sony Mylo and some Sony PSP models. However, these are examples of embedding Skype into a device as part of Skype’s “Skype Everywhere” strategy where conversations become one more feature of a specialty device.

Conclusion

“Skype without a Computer” is inherent in Skype’s new “Skype Everywhere” strategy recently outlined by the new Skype executive team. With the current restructuring of Skype where more mature business processes are being introduced to incorporate product marketing, build partnerships and spread the availability of Skype across many platforms, we can expect to see new “PC-free” Skype hardware coming out in the future. In their visioning statements, beyond mobile devices, they point out that we may see it attached to TV sets, automotive dashboards and embedded into other hardware.

Skype for iPhone: What’s the point? (news.cnet.com)
Skype is Coming to the iPhone. For Real. (mashable.com)

Skype on Mobile: What Would Be a Realistic Skype Announcement at CTIA Wireless Next Week?

Jim Courtney — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:57:52 +0000

Yesterday Om put up a GigaOm post, Skype on iPhone to be released as early as next week. While it’s still an unconfirmed “exclusive” rumor (and you can safely bet the eBay PR hounds are looking for any leak source if this is a leak), it does raise the issue of what we should expect the Skype experience to be if Skype for iPhone is released (even as a beta). It also raises the question of what is happening with the overall Skype on Mobile strategy outlined earlier this year by Skype COO Scott Durchslag in a blog post.

What I can confirm is that at the CES press conference back in January, Skype COO Scott Durchslag did say in an interview that Skype was looking to have Skype for iPhone at some future unannounced date. And I did meet the Skype for iPhone product manager at Skype’s CES 2009 reception; he was relieved that he could now at least give out his title, if not details. At the same CES press conference, Skype demonstrated calls made using its Java-based Skype Lite which has been in various forms of beta since last spring.

We’ve seen several attempts at accessing Skype on an iPhone(Truphone, Nimbuzz, Fring). I have also been using iSkoot on the BlackBerry (and at times Nokia N-series) smartphones as well as IM+ for Skype on various devices. Recently I have been able to check out the Skype IM feature of Skype Lite. Using and trialing these services have provided lots of details about feature set requirements for a fully-featured Skype user experience. As a result I have established some criteria for an acceptable “Skype on Mobile” experience.

Skype Contacts: bring up a user’s complete list of Skype contacts (regardless of number of contacts); be able to find a contact by typing in the first few letters of a name, see the appropriate real time presence information; launch a Skype chat session or Skype voice call.
User interface: I want to look at my Skype contacts, with presence information, and be able to hit the “green” call button on the device to initiate a call to a Skype contact. Hit the red “end call” button to terminate a call. (iSkoot on BlackBerry does this.)
Chat messages: I want the device to be able to monitor my Skype IM activity in background, notify me of activity and bring it up at my convenience. (iSkoot on BlackBerry does this.) I also want Skype Public Chat threads maintained as a single session; Nimbuzz treats each participant in a Public Chat as separate “contact” sessions.
Receiving calls; I want to be able to receive Skype calls whether I am in the “Skype-enabled” application or using another smartphone application. Receiving calls on the BlackBerry or Nokia smartphone is an option with iSkoot; with any iPhone application you must be in the application to receive a Skype call.
Native address book integration: I want to be able to find a contact in the device’s native address book and be able to make a SkypeOut call to a selected Home/Business/Mobile/Other phone number. Truphone has always been diligent about including native address book access; iSkoot also provides this in its more recent releases.
Mood message update: while not critical, it is definitely desirable to be consistent with a fully featured Skype service.
Battery life management: I want to have minimal battery use; iSkoot demonstrates that handling all the chat and call signaling activity can drain a battery quite quickly, especially if on a WiFi connection. Using BlackBerry’s “push” API’s is one means of addressing this issue. Battery lifetime will be even more important on any potential iPhone application; battery management, including lifetime, has been one of iPhone’s weaker points.
Call quality. While certainly limited by the mobile networks’ and smartphones’ inherent audio bandwidth, issues such as echo cancellation and call break-up have arisen with some services. Once again this has not been an issue on iSkoot for BlackBerry calls; however, I have found these issues to occur on calls to Skype contacts via Fring and Truphone on the iPhone.
Network quality: I have yet to have a good 3G network experience with AT&T; I have mentioned this in the past during recent trips to California and Nevada. Om has written about it to the point where he switched to using a 8900 Curve on T-Mobile after giving up on Bold and iPhone on AT&T. My vacation location this week only has AT&T 2G service available and, even then, it is minimal reliability. (T-Mobile 2G definitely has “more bars” here.) My only recommendation here can be, if you wish great 3G reliability and reception on a BlackBerry Bold or iPhone, move to Canada and use Rogers where 3G network availability and quality has never been an issue for me.

Here is my current Skype access on mobile situation:

iSkoot provides excellent call quality as well as chat sessions in background (including content from sessions over the previous day or two). iSkoot’s major technical downside relates to battery drain, an issue that is correctable via newer “push” API’s. Costs will vary by my smartphone location:
- Within the Toronto local calling area: no charge for voice or data.
- Within Canada: long distance charges (~$0.25/minute) for voice; no charge for data. It’s still cost effective to use iSkoot.
- Outside Canada: roaming charges ($0.95/minute in U.S.; much more in Europe) plus long distance charges make iSkoot a very expensive service. Only Skype services on 3 have partially addressed this issue in all the countries served by 3.
Truphone’s Skype access:
- Voice: Truphone for iPhone provides unacceptable Skype call quality (serious echo cancellation issues) but can complete calls to Skype contacts over a WiFi access point. The Truphone client must be open to receive Skype voice calls. Truphone Anywhere, which requires access to the carrier’s network for voice, has the same cost considerations as listed for iSkoot above. (To give due credit, a Truphone call over WiFi this afternoon directly to one of my iPhone contacts did not have echo issues.)
- Chat: The Truphone client can only support IM chat sessions when the Truphone client is open. The content seen comprises only those messages exchanged while in the “current” chat session; all chat sessions are closed when you leave the Truphone application; previous content is not recallable.
Skype for Mobile (aka Skype Lite) on Nokia E71:
- As making Skype voice calls is reliant on having carrier relationships, I can only access Skype chat activity via WiFi; in this case previous Skype chat sessions can be recalled. Skype has announced they are working with carriers in ten named countries but no other details have been provided.

While I would expect any Skype on iPhone offering would use the “Skype Lite”/iSkoot /Truphone Anywhere architecture involving use of the data channel for chat and call signaling but the inherent carrier voice channel for voice, recall that Skype Lite is basically a Java application that has been in beta for some time whereas iPhone on Skype would require a relatively new and yet-to-be-beta-tested Apple OS/X application. On the other hand, iPhone 3.0 will address some of these issues.

Bottom line – there are many issues to be addressed to have Skype on the iPhone maintain Skype’s reputation for providing an easy-to-use, reliable, scalable consumer service. While I won’t totally discount the rumors of Skype on iPhone, my prediction for what Skype may announce next week at CTIA Wireless: carrier agreements related to using Skype Lite:

First announced last April (as Skype for Mobile), Skype Lite is at the point where Skype needs to announce some carrier agreements to demonstrate that Skype Lite actually has carrier adoption.
Carrier adoption is critical to the business model for generating revenue from Skype Lite.
It would be consistent with the Skype for Mobile strategy about which Scott Durchslag blogged during the Mobile World Conference in February.
This is a major international conference where wireless carriers and vendors do business.

We’ll be looking forward to seeing what announcements do come out next week.

Skype to Storm the iPhone (markevanstech.com)
Access Your Skype Contacts via Truphone (voiceontheweb.biz)
Bold Twittering: When is a SmartPhone Truly a Mobile Microcomputer? (voiceontheweb.biz)
Skype Coming for the iPhone? Little Birdie Says Yes (jkontherun.com)
Truphone Guns For The All-in-one iPhone App – Adds Skype, Twitter And Other IM (uk.techcrunch.com)
Skype me! – Truphone adds Skype to iPhone (textually.org)

Skype For SIP: Sorting Through the Issues

Jim Courtney — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:08:58 +0000

Yesterday’s announcement of the Skype for SIP beta created lots of commentary in the blogosphere; it remained the leading topic on Techmeme for several hours.

Phil Wolff over at Skype Journal, in “Skype For SIP: Big Money, Skypeless, Brand Destroyer”, outlines some of the positioning with respect to Skype for Asterisk, channel schism issues and worries that it abandons Skype’s central tenants and could undermine the brand.
Alec Saunders, in “Skype embraces SIP; announces beta service for business users”, talks about the impact on businesses using legacy PBX’s, the increased pressure on international long distance markets and a reminder that about 1/3 of all current Skype traffic is business related.
Jason Goecke at Ahearsion, a Skype for Asterisk beta developer, worries about the impact on the market for Skype for Asterisk in “Skype for SIP = Skype for Asterisk DOA?”

But most interesting was the Voice On The Web Public Chat session that ensued. Being on a vacation I was away from my laptop for about seven hours (yes, it was a great day to be golfing) but when I returned I found a session that not only provided the flavor of the vibrant debate going on but also many answers. The key – Chris Moore, Skype’s Senior Product Manager responsible for Skype for SIP joined into the discussion to make several points:

Most importantly – this is Skype for SIP beta; his team is looking for feedback from a range of beta testers, not only third party developers but also the IP PBX vendors themselves. To quote Chris:

Yep, whole idea is to get feedback, see what people want/don’t want to help prioritize development of new features. Our group, Skype For Business, is getting a lot of focus and its a key strategic focal point for Skype now. We’ll never get it completely right at the start, but a start is still a start
To qualify as a beta tester you need to have some experience with configuring IP PBX’s that are currently in the market. For instance, “you must have, and be able to configure, your own SIP Enabled PBX that supports G.729 codec.”
Beta testers will need to create a temporary Skype name to use in the beta program; the issue of a separate SkypeID and how it was handled was hotly debated.
One point to clarify:

Skype for SIP actually can allow multiple Skype IDs to be mapped through to a single SIP identity. However, during the beta period, we are only supporting a 1 to 1 mapping due to the fact that Skype’s advanced Business Control Panel (BCP) configuration portal is not yet available at this time. If a company wishes to configure multiple Skype ID’s mapped to a SIP identity, we can accommodate this for a subset of the beta trial participants.
The key connections made by Skype for SIP are:

- PBX –> SkypeOut (PSTN)
- SkypeIn/Online numbers (PSTN) –> PBX
- Skype Clients –> PBX
The business model, including pricing, has yet to be worked out. It will require Skype to determine a means to separate out business users from “consumer” users on both Skype for SIP and Skype for Asterisk. The principle here is that business benefits from the various features of these offerings; where such significant value-add exists there is a market for the services. But any pricing for either offering is yet to be determined, keeping in mind that both offerings’ desire to make significant market penetration will be a key moderator on pricing. Again quoting Chris:

no new road is easy and enhancing our focus so Skype can support business users as a distinct group differently from consumers takes some work
Differentiation from Skype for Asterisk will be an ongoing challenge. Initially Skype for Asterisk, which will be an Asterisk channel, includes handling SIP—>Skype calls, Skype-to-Skype calls and will incorporate presence information. (My comments on an ignored aspect differentiating these are below.)
While SFS may incorporate some “Skype trunking” capability, SFS also offers the handling of inbound calling from Skype Online numbers.
As for the current status of SFS, Chris says the focus at the moment is on getting voice connections right as this is the feature most demanded in the market:

and this is baby steps for Skype, there are many more UC services to come, voice for SIP is the biggest ask from customers. Video/presence etc only make sense when codecs are common between skype clients and SIP endpoints.Some work left there!
Codecs are an issue. The initially supported G.729 codec requires licensing. The Skype for Business team is working on incorporation of G.711 within a few weeks but eventually hopes to assist with the adoption of the SILK codec across the industry by supporting SILK. But this also requires SILK support at the end points. Bottom line: codecs have both a technology and business issues to be resolved.
Security is an issue that will probably provide one of the major challenges as Skype opens up access to its cloud from both Skype for Business offerings.

My own observations, not having been around for the discussion:

Skype for SIP and Skype for Asterisk: the discussion yesterday centered on technical issues but totally ignored the market channel issues.
Skype for SIP requires working with the various IP PBX vendors who have their own distribution channels; Skype for Asterisk is a partnering project with Digium who has its own unique distribution channels. These channels are both looking for innovation that keeps them in business. Yes, the common issue is that SFS and SFA both threaten the long distance market, but the VAR’s and System Integrators in these channels will need new offerings that meet this challenge.
A significant challenge for both SFA and SFS will be the User Interface. How much will either of these products make the installation, configuration and operational aspects so user friendly that outside support requirements are minimized or eliminated. This is a huge challenge in the SMB market as many small business owners will simply not want to be involved with such issues; they have their own business specialty to focus on. The value-add of VAR’s and SI’s serving any business market comes in making business communications low cost, seamless to the business operation and five 9’s uptime for their customers.
There is not one solution that will meet the complete world of business needs. Currently in this SMB space we have several vendors: Cisco, Microsoft Response Point, Avaya, Siemens, etc. The world would be up in arms if there were only one offering for providing the disruptive innovation for which Skype can provide support to these channels.
The issue of addressing consumer users vs business issues recalls the PC market twenty years ago when PC hardware vendors, initially Compaq, finally figured out how to differentiate and address these markets. This was a major issue I had to deal with in setting up a PC reseller network at the time. Today we see Dell addressing these various markets as soon as you launch into their website.

The Skype-enabled world is only healthy if there are alternative offerings and channels. Recall the theme of Skype President Josh Silverman’s reminder to the analysts last week: “Skype is a software company but we plan to be everywhere”. The Skype for Business group is focusing on making the software required to support these offerings; this software will leverage the IP PBX vendors and Digium distribution channels to drive adoption through into the various regional business market channels worldwide.

Update: While Om’s post, Skype Now Means Business, Friends the SIP World, demonstrates that he has not been following very closely the strategy being laid out by Skype’s new executive team over the past few months, the comment stream it triggered is well worth reading. For instance, check out SFA developer Tim Panton’s comment about the opportunity for innovation he has found in SFA:

That aside, I’m a huge fan of S4A and our experience to date has been positive. We leverage the improved identity management (vs PSTN or SIP) and low costs of Skype to do some very cool integration with business processes and web applications by routing Skype calls through the extensible and scriptable platform of Asterisk. [author’s bold]

Next Post: Why Skype needs to get Skype Public Chat back into the latest release of Skype for Windows 4.0. The discussion referenced above demonstrates that this is the major failing of this version.

Update: Andy Abramson at VoIP Watch: Skype and SIP Equals A Takeaway of Toll Free

Skype Taps ShoreTel for Enterprise Play (gigaom.com)

Canadian Experience with Skype Access and Boingo WiFi

Jim Courtney — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:16:37 +0000

Skype Access, where a Skype user can go to any Boingo WiFi access point and use Skype Credits to pay for Boingo service on a “per minute” basis via Skype Credits, has so far only been available via Skype for Mac 2.8 beta launched in early January. However, as a St. Patrick’s Day present, Skype announced that they would give away 10,000 free minutes of Skype Access for one week from March 17 to March 23 00.00 GMT. Skype will pick up the first 30 minutes of an individual user’s session under this promotion.

Having failed, shortly after launch in early January, to get Skype Access to work at a local Starbucks, where Bell Mobility has a partner agreement with Boingo, I returned to the same Starbucks (Streetsville in Mississauga, Canada) this afternoon. I can now report that, on launching Skype for Mac 2.8 beta on a MacBook, Skype Access was immediately recognized and a WiFi session commenced.

During this time I successfully made an excellent quality Skype video call to Dan York where the technical specs showed the video to be 640 x 480 @ 15 fps (or slightly greater – recall that Mac webcams do not meet the 30 fps network transmission specifications required for Skype High Quality Video). At 25 minutes I was warned that I only had five more minutes to use Skype Access free; while I certainly went beyond five minutes, I do not see any charges against my Skype Credits when looking at my call history.

Using WiFi at a Canadian Starbucks (provisioned by Bell Mobility) now gives me five options for acquiring WiFi access:

Skype Access (~C$0.23 per minute using Skype Credits)
Bell Mobility (C$0.15 per minute via credit card)
Bell Mobility (C$0.15 per minute charged to my Rogers Wireless account)
Starbucks Card (free for up to 2 hours daily provided you have used your Starbucks card in the previous 30 days, also available over AT&T in the U.S.).
Boingo (~C$11.50 per month, suitable for road warriors, provides unlimited access at thousands of North American locations)

Obviously Skype Access is a service that one would use as a last resort in attempting to make WiFi access. For instance, need a quick email check or browser lookup while in an airport waiting room or at a Starbucks between meetings on the road, Skype Access becomes a convenience. Definitely not a service I would use for a two hour meeting requiring Internet access at a Starbucks in Canada.

I also took the opportunity to check out Boingo’s access services. When I booted the MacBook, I immediately received notification that I was at a Boingo access point. Turned on my iPhone with the Boingo client installed; once again I was able to make a connection. However, this required me to navigate through three or more Bell Mobility “login” pages on the iPhone – including having to re-enter my Boingo login data at one point – tedious but I was eventually connected.

I then attempted to access Boingo WiFi on my BlackBerry Bold. Once again the new alpha Boingo client for BlackBerry recognized I was at a Boingo access point; however, i was not able to login successfully. A report is forthcoming to Boingo contacts but I also have reason to believe there is an issue with the BlackBerry WiFi access algorithms on my older, but most recent Rogers, version of BlackBerry firmware in this case.

The key point here is that WiFi access for road warriors is continuously expanding, not only in terms of number of locations but also variety of service options available, even at one location. And Boingo, whose story I have followed since its launch in 2001, continues to expand not only its locations but also the platforms supported.

More Proof People Really Love WiFi, Especially on iPhones (gigaom.com)
Skype Access Makes It Easy To Go Boingo (gigaom.com)

Skype for Mac 2.8 Beta Launches

Jim Courtney — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:12:50 +0000

At MacWorld’s Showstoppers event this evening Skype announced Skype for Mac 2.8 beta, with two major new features as well as several minor ones.

Screen Sharing

The most impressive feature is a form of basic screen sharing. Either a segment of your screen or the full screen is converted into a virtual webcam such that the screen can be viewed in any Skype client via the Skype video channel. While only a Mac can currently be a source for this screen sharing it can be viewed on any Windows, Mac or Linux client as video.

Skype for Mac’s screen sharing feature is sufficient to support discussion issues as a complement to a voice and/or chat conversation; it is NOT by any means a replacement for fully featured desktop or application sharing offerings such as Yugma, Inner Pass or IBM’s Lotus Sametime Unyte. It’s “just” screen sharing. In fact, it is one of two options on the Skype for Mac’s “Share” button, the other being file sharing/transfer.

Below is an example of a full screen image of a shared MacBook screen as seen in a detached Skype video window on my Windows laptop.

Skype Access

The second major feature, Skype Access, provides WiFi access for your MacBook or MacBook Pro via any Boingo access point. While I’m told it has been tested at many of the over 100,000 Boingo hotspots worldwide, I could not get it to work at a local Canadian Starbucks listed as a Boingo hotspot location. But then, this is still beta (and the problem may be with Boingo’s interface with Bell Mobility). ([Update: on a March 19 visit to the same Starbucks, Skype Access worked with no problems.]

More importantly is to look at the “use case” for Skype Access. Cost for using Skype Access over Boingo is US$0.22/€0.16/C$0.23 per minute using Skype credits.

Within a user’s home country, Skype Access is probably more expensive than local alternatives; this is certainly the case in Canada. However, I can see the value if I am outside the home country and wanting to make Skype/SkypeOut calls, check email or do some web browsing at airports, restaurants, coffee shops and other Boingo hotspots as an alternative to much higher cost roaming wireless calls (for instance roaming U.S. to Canada on Rogers runs at $1.75 per minute) or $40 per day Internet access charges at some European hotels.

With unlimited use Boingo subscriptions at $21.95/month for North America or $59/month Global, Skype Access is more appropriate for the occasional traveler as opposed to the hardened road warrior.

It reminds me of the use case for PamFax where you can send faxes directly from, say, your hotel room for about $0.20 per page while avoiding a hotel’s much higher $1.00/page charge for faxing. One other common feature between Skype Access and PamFax: both use Skype credits as the primary currency.

Other features in Skype for Mac 2.8 beta:

Skype for Mac 2.8 continues the use of a “drawer” attached to a Skype chat window; from the list of active chat sessions shown in the drawer you can select which session you want to view. But now there are three levels of prioritization available for those chat sessions. In addition chats can be sorted by name or date/time.
The process for adding contacts to a chat session now simply involves clicking the “Add a Contact” button and entering the added contact’s name.
Your Contacts’ Mood Messages can be tracked via a “Mood Message” chat session. While this can currently only be initiated on Skype for Mac 2.8, your mood message chat session will show up as a chat session on, say, a Windows client logged into the same account. Neat for keeping up-to-date on mood message changes, especially when a mood message provides location or reference URL information; it provides a Twitter-like experience.
Add notes to contacts: when you go into a Contact’s profile there is a separate tab for entering personal notes about that contact.

Dan York, with a lot more Skype for Mac experience than I have had (I just acquired a MacBook ten days ago), has provided a much more detailed review of all the new features He has also produced an excellent You Tube video for his Emerging Tech Talk series:

Skype for Mac 2.8 beta can be downloaded here January 6. Full Release Notes

Skype Posts: Share Skype Blog, Skype Garage Blog

Voice on the Web » Skype Access

Skype WiFi – Skype Access Rebranded; Now on iPhone, iPad

Skype Access expands WiFi Hotspot Coverage

Related articles

Skype hits 145 million users monthly

Related articles

SkypeKit: Now with Windows and Mac OS Versions

Related articles by Zemanta

Boingo Adds An “Apple Wireless” Option for WiFi-on-the-Go

Related articles by Zemanta

Skype for Windows 4.2: Enhancing the Skype Call Experience

Related articles by Zemanta

A Conversation with Skype CEO Josh Silverman

Related articles by Zemanta

Skype for Mobile: An Interview with Skype’s Russ Shaw

Related articles by Zemanta

iotum’s Calliflower Conference Call Service Adds Skype Access

Related articles by Zemanta

Skype Video Calling on Your TV? Maybe, Maybe Not: It’s Your Call

History Making Smartphone Skype Call During LeWeb Closing Session

Related articles by Zemanta

Skype for Mac 2.8: Handy New Features Finally Go Gold

Related articles by Zemanta

Will AT&T’s Randall Stephenson Mobilize Skype?

Related articles by Zemanta

3 Pushes the Envelope Once Again: Offers Obligation-Free Skype Mobile Services

Related articles by Zemanta

Skype Without a Personal Computer

Related articles by Zemanta

Skype on Mobile: What Would Be a Realistic Skype Announcement at CTIA Wireless Next Week?

Related articles by Zemanta

Skype For SIP: Sorting Through the Issues

Related articles by Zemanta

Canadian Experience with Skype Access and Boingo WiFi

Related articles by Zemanta

Skype for Mac 2.8 Beta Launches