VoIP company Skype has tapped the Canadian and US market with a $29.95 charge plan that will allow users to make unlimited calls to any mobile phone or landline for one whole year. In May the same service named SkypeOut had been offered free. The company also said that computer-to-computer calls using the Skype service will continue to be free as usual.
The company lays out an even more attractive half-price offer for users who sign up before January 31, 2006. For $14.95, subscribers will get the same benefits and an additional 100 free minutes of international calling. These offers are expected to effect a natural transition of Skype users from its free trial service which expires December 31, to a subscription-based service. The new annual plan also comes into effect at the year end.
People who do not wish to subscribe to the yearly plan, can continue to use SkypeOut for calls to land phones and mobiles within the US and Canada, for 21 cents a minute.
The Internet-based service Skype has given tough competition to landline phone companies with extremely low rates. It is also the fastest growing among similar Web-based services.
Internet users around the world quickly embraced the new way of making tele-calls using Skype's free-to-download software which allows them to make voice and video calls to other Skype users. Its revenues are ensured from the highly competitive rates for calling to and from any land phones or mobiles, and other services like call forwarding, voicemail, ringtones, etc.
Its popularity is surging around the world. Experts predict that by the end of 2007 1 out of every 3 consumers, in the US alone, will be a VoIP user. Recent research data shows the service topping preference list for Americans who use VoIP service, a segment of market that accounts for 20 percent of telecommunications users. Worldwide registered Skype users now number in excess of 136 million.
