Do you use Skype to make calls through the internet especially abroad? Most who are Skype regulars will be looking closely at the fact that Google is leveraging Google Voice which is now available to all users in the US. Winning a brand war is important like you see no one even talks about Amazon Kindle and almost everyone talks about Apple’s iPad.
So now that Google Voice is making a splash Skype has decided on the same day to announce free landline international calls. Skype does say it is doing so because it will allow football fans to connect during this football season but that is a little strange as the Fifa World Cup 2010 started about 2 weeks before this announcement was made and on the same day when Google Voice was made available to all US users.
So Skype has not offered for a whole month free unlimited calls to US, Mexico, Argentina, Australia, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands and many more countries. Also many other countries have free minutes in talk time ranging from 60 minutes for Cameroon to 400 minutes to Brazil.
What is notable is when Google Voice is just about making a splash in America, Skype is showing off its international presence and visibility.
If you are looking to get this free package with Skype look up their page with relevant links.
Ofcourse this is not available in India because of VOIP licensing issues but many still do use Skype online for chatting and video conferencing and group conferences.
So what do you think will happen to Skype a few years down the line? Will it survive or will it be mowed down by Google Voice? Do let us know through your comments.
Link: Skype Blog