Expanding its range of services for its half-a-million plus users, Skype said it will offer various service bundles with monthly subscriptions that allow low-cost calling to more than 170 countries.
Beginning at $1.09 per month, the new subscriptions offer savings of up to 60 percent on Skype's standard international rates.
On a volume basis, Skype is the most successful VoIP provider in the world, accounting for about 12 percent of the world’s international calling traffic, according to TeleGeography Research. The company, which was sold to a group of private investors by parent company eBay for about $2 billion, has sought ways to increase its revenue-per-user, including moving into the business market and offering calling rates that generate revenue while remaining far lower than traditional carrier prices.
Later this month Skype will release a beta version of a videoconferencing service that allows five participants. The service will initially be free, Skype GM of consumer business Neil Stevens told the Associated Press, but the provider will begin charging for it later this year.
Skype has also partnered with Verizon Wireless to offer Skype Mobile, which allows Verizon 3G smartphone users with data plans to make calls around the world using Skype. Available exclusively to Verizon Wireless customers, the plan is not technically free – users must pay for the Verizon data plan – but will not count against the customer’s pool of minutes.
The international calling plans are available in one-month, three-month and one year subscriptions, and range from 60-minute limits to unlimited calling. Founded in 2003, Skype has offered low-cost calls to landlines and cell phones since 2005.
