Guest Post by Zac Kenni. Skype is a popular messenger for its free “PC-to-PC” and “PC-to-Phone” multi-lingual calling and messaging services. Users can enjoy voice calls as well as live chats which allows video conferencing on the internet. A Skype user is registered and identified through a unique ID which is stored on a database on the Skype server. Registered users are allowed to make contact and communicate with peers or friends using its services. The chat box is provided with emoticons for users to be more expressive. Users are also entitled to store chat history, to receive offline messages and many useful features. It also allows users to perform file transfers. A minimal fee is now being charged to the user’s debit-based account for calling landline telephones or cellular phones system. Through the years, Skype has undergone a lot of transformation in terms of uses, services and added features. The Skype migration from the computer’s desktop going to mobile units has created a tremendous revolution in terms of voiced communication attitude. Receiving a free VoIP call from a provider such as Skype at any time of the day on a portable handset in a 3G or WiFi network is truly an amazing innovation. In other words, users can be online using the internet-telephone service on any enabled 3G device such as an iPhone or iPad or it can be installed onto any PC, MAC or laptop. Skype did not give any idea as to how long the use of this free calling service would last. There were presumptions that those free calls were not going to be enjoyed for forever. The speculations came true when an announcement was made earlier sometime in 2010 that the free calling service feature would only be free until the end of August 2010. After the said date, there would be a minimal monthly fee imposed for the use of its calling feature.
History of Skype
Looking back at Skype in a brief history, the software was invented and developed by Ahti Heinla, Priit Kaesalu and Jaan Tallin – all Estonians – and was founded as a company by Niklas Zennstrom, a Swedish businessman, and Janus Friis of Denmark. Some time during April 2003, the domain names “Skype.com” and “Skype.net” were duly registered for the company. The release of the first public Beta version was made in August of 2003. In September 2005, eBay acquired Skype and held onto it for four years. It was then acquired in November 2009 by an investment group spearheaded by Silver Lake. Under the management of Silver Lake, Skype made impressive developments by increasing the monthly voice-calling volume by one hundred fifty (150%) percent. The industry continued to develop new strategies to increase its revenue until it considered migration to serve users to the fullest extent. Skype continued to move forward when it led to the acquisition of Qik (a mobile video-sharing platform) on January 14, 2011. On May 10, 2011, the software giant Microsoft formally announced its acquisition of Skype for a luscious amount of $8.5 Billion US Dollars! This acquisition is Microsoft’s largest so far. At present, Skype has become Microsoft’s newest division. Mr. Tony Bates, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will be President of Microsoft’s Skype Division. CEO Bates will be reporting directly to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Microsoft’s Skype Division has promised its commitment to Skype users by building on the features of Skype and offers support for non-Microsoft clients such as Mac and Linux users, and offers applications for phones such as the Android, iPhone, Symbian and other brands. Skype also offers its application on selected Samsung and Panasonic televisions. The ability to use Skype on other television brands and models should soon be available.
Skype under Microsoft
Microsoft and Skype will aim on the following agenda: (1) Providing superior Microsoft device support (Xbox, Kinect and Windows devices), (2) Connecting Skype to Lync, Outlook, Xbox Live and other Communities, (3) Enhancing Lync for their enterprise customers, (4) Enhancing the Skype brand with more features, (5) Supporting Microsoft Windows phones, and (6) Offering more great technological advancements and business opportunities. The combination of Skype’s technologies will surely benefit their users. This partnership is something that the world can look forward to since Skype has always offered excellent service to its users around the world. Hopefully, the combined companies will be able to jointly deliver better communication services to their consumers as well as to businesses all over the globe in the near future. In the light of this recent development, lots of questions have been raised about why Microsoft has bought Skype. Will Skype continue to offer the same phenomenal services it has given for years to its users? It may be noteworthy to consider this statistical projection. The mobile industry is growing rapidly these days at forty-two (42%) percent. Mobile video application usage is gaining faster at one hundred and four (104%) percent, while and mobile traffic is projected to increase at about twenty-six (26) times over the next five (5) years. Parallel to that, social networking sites are expanding at forty-four (44%) percent which figure accounts for thirteen (13%) percent of internet time. In a statement made by CEO Tony Bates, he stated, “Microsoft and Skype share the vision of bringing software innovation and products to our customers.” He further stated that, “Together, we will be able to accelerate Skype’s plans to extend our global community and introduce new ways for everyone to communicate and collaborate.” Another question also arises: “Can Skype accelerate communication shifting to VoIP with Microsoft on its side?” The partnership is likely to give a notable impact on telecommunication companies. The development of the cellular phones which can use Skype has caused the continuous decrease in landline connections for the past several years. How much more will the Skype-Microsoft tandem affect the telecom business? Since Skype is now owned by Microsoft, it is but reasonable to believe that Skype can encourage migration away from traditional landline services. Since Skype is very affordable compared to traditional landlines, its influence as a VoIP provider may pose as a huge threat against telecommunication companies around the globe. This was a guest article by Zac Kenni, a senior writer from a trusted hosting reviews company. Webhostgear.com, provider of good quality webhosting reviews and rates hosting services through a collaboration of thorough research, data analysis, performance and user feedback. Helping people find the best web hosting solutions for their website needs through rating and giving outstanding reviews for different web hosting companies on the internet.
