Skype Is Going ‘Pro’

The brainchild of a Swede and a Dane, Skype, the extraordinarily prolific and successful VOIP program that connects people all over the world via voice and video chat, is moving over to a more universally acceptable more easily consumable business model. The plan? Turning ‘Pro’.

The idea of Skype Pro is to offer a bundle of convenience: a discount on a SkypeIn number (a standard telephone number for anyone – Skype users or mobile and landline subscribers – to recognize and contact), and free voicemail (previously a $20-per-year extra). All of that will run you just $2.60 per month and 5 cents per call. Now at first, that might sound a bit confusing, but look at these figures from afar. $2.60 every month to continue as a Skype Pro subscriber, with no charge to voicemail and a one-time discounted fee for a genuine phone number. Then, it’s 5 cents per call. Not per minute. Per call.

If you look at it in comparison to today’s cellular phone subscription costs – which average roughly $40-$45 for 1000 minutes – you’re paying 5 cents per minute, if you so happen to use every one of those 1000 minutes, and never stray into overage territory. Skype Pro can indeed theoretically be more expensive, but in fine-print terms (taxes, fees, etc., are not being incorporated in to this juxtaposition.) it’s a steal. In real world terms, it’s worlds ahead of rivals. Keep this in mind: 5 cents per call, not per minute.

What makes Skype Pro a bargain is that it is Skype in very palatable terms. Rarely do mobile subscribers use up their monthly allotment. Which means they aren’t getting all that they pay for. Most are content with this simply because it’s an ever-present connection to friends, family, colleagues and the world in just about any civilized part of the globe. But in strictly economic terms, most do not take advantage of the incredibly cheap calling mobile phone plans allow.

Now, Skype isn’t as mobile as what you can get from your GSM or CDMA provider. You’re either tethered to a laptop – which means you need an Ethernet connection or a reasonably good open WIFI signal. I need not tell you how cumbersome it can be to arrange yourself with such amenities. Also, most Skype-compatible handsets are for around-the-house use, often needing recharging after several hours. So, really, Skype has yet to penetrate the truly mobile sphere in any meaningful way before it gets folks to even consider dropping their cellular phones for mobile VOIP.

What it is good for is a solid replacement for the home phone. While VOIP providers in America do offering all-you-can-speak plans (Verizon FiOS, Vonage, Sunrocket), they quickly turn costly when international connections come into play. Also, Skype Pro will undoubtedly be offered with Skype-to-Skype free calling and video chat. And well, who else offers video chat?

Skype Pro won’t be a phenomenal success when it is first available for download. Some will forgo the service for the program’s conventional offerings. But if you’re itching to move Skype away from its place as an experimental solution for contacting fellow tech-savvy friends, family, and co-workers, Skype Pro might just wean you away from that landline connection you’ve been holding onto “just in case”, or ease off the cellular phone use a bit to avoid those steep overages.