Skype

Skype is one of the most widely used internet telephony services. Internet telephony is the use of the internet to route telephone calls. This is commonly referred to as VOIP. Technically, VOIP is the protocol used to route the calls, while internet telephony or IP telephony is the actual service. On this page, I will use the terms interchangeably.

I originally planned to discuss Skype in a blog post, but they made a significant announcement today that prompted me to move them to page status. Skype just announced that they now have an unlimited international calling plan that allows free calls to 34 countries for 9.95 per month.

Skype is a software program that you download and install on your computer. Once installed, you can sign up for a free account. To properly use Skype you will need some sort of headset or microphone/earphone system. Inexpensive versions can be purchased at Radio Shack for less than $20. You could choose to buy a fancy telephone system that is designed for Skype, but I would recommend trying Skype for a while before sinking the money into a phone system.

Once you install the system, you need to sign up for a free account. This account allows you to talk to any other Skype user, anywhere in the world, for free. A neat feature for business users is the conference call feature, free for up to 9 Skype users.

While a free account is a great tool, at a great price, to get the most out of Skype, you will have to shell out a few bucks. Literally, just a few bucks. You can purchase plans for as little as 2.95 a month that will allow you to make calls to anyone in the US and Canada. You can go all the way and get the unlimited international plan, mentioned above. These plans allow unlimited outgoing calls, but don’t allow you to receive regular calls using Skype. If you want to receive calls, i.e. have a real phone number, you will need to sign up for SkypeIn. This service allows you receive calls from anywhere in the world. You can choose a number from one of 20 countries. SkypeIn is a little more expensive, at $60 per year, but this cost is discounted by 50% if you have a monthly subscription.

Skype also offers other features, such as cheap SMS messaging and voicemail. I won’t bore anyone with the details of every service.

Tagged as: communication, free calls, internet telephony services, ip telephony, nonprofit, skype