Depth report: Skype gamble VoIP phone revolution is ready to go
Author: ZDNet ChinaCNETNews.com.cn
2004-10-10 08:31 AM
CNET Technology News October 10 International Report: Sun Group, San Jose Technology Company, California, first heard that Skype provided free and high-quality Internet telephony service, he thought that it was probably a unrealguard. Sun Qun often tried broadband telephone service with early adopters, but he did not accept call interruption and noise. Therefore, a year ago, the media reported to disclose a revolutionary point-to-peer software that may eliminate traditional telephones, as if the file exchange service has greatly threatened the record industry, he still half sinks. Can Skype can't knock down the traditional telephone companies around the United States, and have to test. But Sun Qun and other people, now I am ignorant, blame how to drag it for so long to try this software. Sun Qun wrote in an email: "I am talking to a friend, the sound quality is clear. I dial the phone to the friend of Australia, the sound quality is equally clear. So, now I recommend it to friends and relatives to recommend it to install this Unbelievable software. "Skype was only more than a year, and this headquarters has shown that it is a set of new companies in Luxembourg. However, just like earlier, the forecast of the point-to-point technology and the music industry, the so-called network phone will overthrow the traditional telephone industry, and it has not been implemented. In fact, the relationship between Skype and the traditional telephone company is also a friend, on the one hand, which constitutes an emerging competition challenge, and also cooperate with them. Although this new company singing amplitarian ambiguous goals of people's communication media, they still have to face reality requirements - broadening the source of renet. What's more, users like Sun Qun said that the sound quality of Skype is very scratched, but it still brings some inconvenience. For example, both the call must be installed; VoIP software; the receipt of the use of ordinary phones must be charged separately; and the software can only be used with personal computers and a small number of small officers, ordinary telephone can't be used . Sara Hofstetter, Senior Vice President, Net2Phone, said: "If you can't cross your personal computer, you can't get up." Net2Phone is also a web phone service provider, but is different from Skype, not using point-to-point software. Telephone revolution is ready to go? Even if all the shortcomings are incorporated, Skype symbolizes a major change in the telephone industry. Based on point-to-point architecture, Skype does not require infrastructure, and the required capital investment is minimal than the telephone company that must be laid and installed. Indeed, Skype's service uses more than 750,000 people per day, and the network can be established, and the computer resources can be shared to manage call traffic and ensure the quality of the call. Skype claims that the company's network can grow naturally, no additional expansion equipment for income traffic. Even for webcurries that subvert the 100-year telephone industry, the concept of "NetWork Free" is also unprecedented. With Skype, companies often do not have to spend hundreds of thousands of US dollars, don't have to spend any more, don't mention billions of dollars in the traditional telephone company. Michael Powell, Chairman of the US Federal Communications (FCC), recently: "When downloading Skype software, I know that the trend has been defined. When the inventor spreads out the program, let anyone can use the Internet, and the sound quality is excellent, service Free, don't you have a big trend? Now, this world is bound to change. "Skype unique mixing technology, and rapid popularity between grassroots users, it has been parallel.
The company claims that since the software has begun to launch in August 2003, the number of downloads has exceeded 2, 2 million. At this moment, about 60,000 new users registered - can be compared with the free download of the Internet to sweep the Internet for free download software such as ICQ instant messaging services in the late 1990s. Tim Draper, general manager of Skype, 9 million US dollars, said: "The growth rate is flying, it is called Hotmail, the market is the fastest. Skype's performance makes us excited. We think this It will drive a global tide, improve interpersonal communication. "Many people followed Kazaa took Skype to compare with Kazaa. Kazaa is an unpleasant file exchange software, which is created by Jan Friis and Niklas Zennstrom - the two is the Skype's post-moving program developer. Like Kazaa, Skype also uses point-to-counter technology, which is to connect individual personal computers into powerful collaboration networks, without central servers, can handle information traffic. Take Kazaa as an example, users can search and access files stored in the computer - this feature is involved in a large amount of infringement of intellectual property rights and has angered audio and video entertainment. With Skype, the user can call the traditional telephone network. As long as the calls are all equipped with Skype software, no matter where the phone is allocated, you can freely pay the long-distance telephone bill. Other companies, like Vonage, Packet8, Voicepulse and AT & T, have also launched a similar broadband telephone service, but most companies use centralized management systems to transfer calls to traditional telephone networks, charge a uniform fee per month. In the control, Skype only charges when the user must jump out of the point network and call the traditional telephone network. This service has recently been launched by new features called Skypeout, which is charged at a rate of approximately 2 cents per minute, and the applicable call covers 20 countries in North America, Western Europe and Australia. The rates in other regions are different. The competitor questioned that Skype's free call network is basically closed, so it is not widely attractive to users who wish to make software and anyone call. Based on this, the opponent service providing unified rates may attract more users. A spokesperson of Vonage said: "Skype's software may be great, but its business scale and user coverage are extremely limited. If only this practice is now, they can't take over the telecommunications world." How to develop prospects in the future how to develop Skype The vigorous kinetic energy, Zennstrom did not intend to close the traditional telephone company closed, and heard unexpected. In contrast, he said that the company's main goal is to work together with traditional telephone companies. Through this partnership, Skype can play a bait role, with a happy internet application, which is a free web phone that is an additional feature - to help traditional telephone companies sell broadband services to customers. Zennstrom said: "The fax machine has not destroyed the post office, and the email is not eliminated. Our goals are not eliminating any phone company. In the future, people will use a wide range of phones. If you want to say, what we exist is to promote broadband Sales. What we want to do is to expand the scope of communication, join text news, files and image transfer. Call is just one of the communication methods. "Another priority requires profit. "In the world of billions of people, it is not difficult to find 1, million technology players," Net2Phone's Hofstetter said: "The problem is how Skype can make money" Skype is currently the only revenue source is a set of 55 Dollars, Nettera Phones and some Plantronics headset / microphone group.
