Skype via broadband internet could be fastest and cheapest way to talk
Skype via broadband internet could be fastest and cheapest way to talk
By Tim Bisley (Thu, 21st January 2010)
An increasing number of broadband internet users may have been attempting to beat the recession by using Skype, the online telecommunications service.
New figures revealed by TeleGeography show that 54 million minutes of cross-border phone calls were made through Skype - an increase of 63 per cent on 2008, which itself grew 51 per cent on 2007 levels.
Skype allows its users to make free or significantly reduced-rate calls to anywhere in the world - and is arguably at its most reliable when combined with a super-fast broadband connection.
The rise of broadband-based communication could be having an effect on traditional phone lines, which the study reveals grew in popularity by about eight per cent last year - just half of its normal rate of increase.
Stephan Beckert, TeleGeography's analyst, said: "Skype is now the largest provider of cross border communications in the world, by far. The growth of alternatives to telephone calls, including Skype for mobile devices and Google's gradual entry into the voice market, will present ever greater challenges to international carriers."
The 54 million minutes spent in conversation on Skype made up around one-eighth of the UK's total calls abroad, which totalled 406 million minutes in the last 12 months.
Last year BT unveiled a unified communications product which it designed to increase effectiveness and efficiency for its customers.
BT Finder - as it is known - works with Microsoft Office to offer people in remote locations the ability to talk to friends and associates - and could perform at its best when run with a broadband connection.
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