Reviews » Skype Internet phone service
Founded
in 2003 in Estonia, Europe by Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, Skype
is currently headquartered in Luxembourg and has offices around the world
(London, San Jose, Prague..). In 2005 the company was acquired by eBay.
Skype's business model was a very successful one from the beginning. The company started with providing a free to download software for people to make calls using their Internet connection. Over time other free services were added such as free in network video calls, conference calls, call forwarding and more. To these free services one can add paid subscriptions for calling landlines/mobile phones.
Unlike other VoIP services we review, Skype is popular not just in the US, but also around the world and, according to some sources has over 300 million users as of 2008 (most of them using the free service). Skype is mainly focused on providing free and low cost international calling.
Skype does not replace your main telephone service provider
While most VoIP providers try to totally replace your traditional phone company, Skype is mostly a computer based service which does not provide all the features that usually come with a telephone service such as 911 emergency calling and so on, hence the lower priced plans from Skype. In short, Skype is used for placing cheap calls and does not replace your main phone service provider.
Service highlights
Plans
For $12.95/month you can make unlimited calls within the US, Canada and to several other countries. Skype plans (subscriptions) are available internationally and there are many plans offered depending on where you live.
Pay as you go
There is also the option of prepaying for Skype credit.
Equipment
Skype is generally used with a computer. You can also purchase a phone from the Skype website.
Features
Free calls and video calls to other Skype users, voicemail, in network conferencing.
International
Depending on the region you are in Skype provides a variety of low cost unlimited international calling plans. There are even unlimited plans for calling a certain country (example: US to Mexico).