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Tag: ebay

  • Skype Revenues Continue Growing in Q1


    Its future with parent eBay may be uncertain but that hasn’t prevented Skype from continuing to generate revenue.

    eBay’s Q1 financial statements published this week show the VoIP company is still increasing revenue, minutes and users.

    In the first quarter of 2009, Skype had revenues of USD $153.2 million, up from USD $145 million in Q4 of 2008.

    If trading continues in this vein the company is on target for USD $600 million in revenues for the year.

    Skype added 37.9 million registered users in Q1 – up from 35 million new users in Q4 2008.

    This takes its total tally to 443.2 million.

    In addition, it rang up 2.9 billion Skype Out minutes in the quarter – panning out to just over 6.5 minutes per user.

    Certainly a healthy position for a company that could be spun off from its parent.

  • Litigation Issues May Hamper Ebay's Skype Spin-off


    eBay today announced it plans to spin Skype off as a stand alone publicly traded company in the first half of 2010.

    Action at last. But surely the VoIP provider’s parent company has to resolve legal issues centred around its core P2P technology – and involving Skype’s founders – before the planned Initial Public Offering (IPO) can take place?

    The IPO move follows mounting pressure for eBay to act over Skype’s future, which despite its success has "limited synergies" with the ecommerce giant.

    As eBay’s President and CEO, John Donahoe, said in a company statement: "Skype is a great stand-alone business with strong fundamentals and accelerating momentum.
    "But it’s clear that Skype has limited synergies with eBay and PayPal.

    "We believe operating Skype as a stand-alone publicly traded company is the best path for maximizing its potential.

    "This will give Skype the focus and resources required to continue its growth and effectively compete in online voice and video communications.

    "In addition, separating Skype will allow eBay to focus entirely on our two core growth engine – e-commerce and online payments – and deliver long-term value to our stockholders."

    While the IPO move suggests eBay is preparing to sell Skype to an outside buyer, there is still the question of a possible bid from the founders of Skype Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis.

    The London-based pair are reported to have approached a number of private equity firms and are gathering their own personal resources to make an offer for Skype.

    To complicate issues, a company controlled by Niklas and Janus, JoltID, sued Skype over the issue of core P2P technology. Skype/EBay later filed a counter suit.

    So the possibility of on-going litigation will surely need to be cleared up before an IPO can be considered.

    The thorny question of a realistic price – and willing buyer – for Skype is another hindrance to eBay off-loading it.

    Analysts believe eBay wants at least USD $1.7 billion, this being the value of the calling service on its balance sheet after it wrote off part of the acquisition in 2007.

    eBay bought Skype in 2005 for USD $2.6 billion,, with subsequent payments raising this sum to USD $3.1 billion.

    Skype had sales of USD $551 million in 2008 and ended the year with 405 million registered users. Skype expects to top USD $1 billion in revenue in 2011, nearly doubling 2008 revenues.

    Should be an interesting few months ahead for everyone involved.

  • Skype Announces iPhone App,Video Calling Coming Soon?


    STORY UPDATED: see below

    Skype is now available for the iPhone – and will be coming to BlackBerry in May.

    The VoIP app on the iPhone will only work over Wi-Fi and not 3G.

    It will allow iPhone subscribers to use phone numbers in their existing iPhone address book – without the need for duplicate lists.

    As always, it allows free calls between Skype users and charges for calls to landlines or mobiles.

    The free application began appearing in the app store early on Tuesday.

    UPDATE: Since being released on Tuesday it has emerged that Skype on iPhone does works over 3G, despite being intended only for use with WiFi.

    Users report it working over the 3G data connection if the beta 3.0 firmware is being run.

    Since VoIP over the 3G cellular is clearly forbidden in the SDK rules, it’s obviously due to a bug on 3.0 that it works.

    This raises the question of how long it will be before Apple closes the hole?

    But also, how did was the app "approved" and certified by for the App Store without first "testing" if Skype would work on the 3G connection?

  • Skype Announces iPhone App,Video Calling Coming Soon?


    STORY UPDATED: see below

    Skype is now available for the iPhone – and will be coming to BlackBerry in May.

    The VoIP app on the iPhone is intended to only work over Wi-Fi and not 3G. It will allow iPhone subscribers to use phone numbers in their existing iPhone address book – without the need for duplicate lists.

    As always, it allows free calls between Skype users and charges for calls to landlines or mobiles.

    The VoIP app allows iPhone subscribers to use the phone numbers in their existing iPhone address book – without the need for duplicate lists.

    News of the VoIP client coming to the iPhone and Blackberry was first reported by Gigaom ahead of this week’s mobile-centric CTIA conference in Las Vegas.

    The application for the BlackBerry platform will work in a similar fashion to that for the iPhone.

    The iPhone and Blackberry apps are being seen as part of Skype’s efforts to expand beyond its PC stronghold.

    Skype Chief Operating Officer Scott Durchslag said getting the app onto the iPhone was the top request from customers.

    He said there was "pent-up demand" for the service on the Apple handset.

    Skype has already been announced for Nokia and Android phones, as wel as handset operating Windows Mobile.

    The service will also work on later versions of Apple’s latest iPod Touch device, which has Wi-Fi links but no cellular connection.

    While Skype video is very popular with desktop customers, Durchslag said that the company is still considering whether it will offer video for the iPhone or other phones.

    "We’re considering video carefully but we have a really high bar on the quality," and how the user interaction will work with other applications on iPhone, he said. "If we do it we will have to do it incredibly well."

    Some other pieces of functionality are missing.

    While Skype is certain its native client will provide superior audio quality – there is no need to route through another server and transcode audio – the app is missing text messaging, file transfers and integrated voice mail.

    This will undoubtedly help multi-function apps like Fring and NimBuzz maintain a healthy presence on the iPhone, which famously doesn’t allow for multiple programs running concurrently.

    UPDATE: Since being released on Tuesday it has emerged that Skype on iPhone does works over 3G, despite being intended only for use with WiFi.

    Users report it working over the 3G data connection if the beta 3.0 firmware is being run.

    Since VoIP over the 3G cellular is clearly forbidden in the SDK rules, it’s obviously due to a bug on 3.0 that it works.

    This raises the question of how long it will be before Apple closes the hole?

    But also, how did was the app "approved" and certified by for the App Store without first "testing" if Skype would work on the 3G connection?

  • Gizmo5 CEO Challenges Skype For SIP


    The CEO of Gizmo5 Michael Robertson has responded to last week’s announcement of Skype for SIP by posting a comparison (see below) of the new service and his own company’s OpenSky.

    While welcoming Skype’s initiative, he described it as a "vaporware announcement" with "murky pricing details".

    Writing on his blog, Robertson said he has been a vocal advocate for open standards, both in music with my company MP3.com and in VOIP with Gizmo5.

    He said open standards have always give consumers more choices and ultimately better value.

    "V0IP standards got a huge boost this week with two announcements," he said.

    Roberston said these were Gizmo5’s launch of its SIP for Skype service called OpenSky, which lets any SIP device call Skype and receive their Skype calls, and Ebay’s announcement of Skype for SIP.

    "These announcements are a huge boost for SIP as the open standard which will let calls move freely from any calling device or network," he said.

    "It’s great to see Skype inching towards a more interoperable world. Even if this is a vaporware announcement at least their heart is in the right direction."

    Robertson compared Skype For SIP with Skype for Asterisk, announced last year, saying that Skype’s business offering is not yet available and pricing details are murky.

    In response to Robertson’s blog comments, Skype said its SIP offering is available now.

    While there are other details that will undoubtedly be challenged by Skype, Robertson’s riposte will certainly give any enterprise pondering the services something to chew over.

  • eBay Bets on Skype's Entry Into SIP-based PBX To Boost Revenue


    Skype has launched Skype for SIP, a beta program that allows companies to make domestic and international VoIP calls from an office PBX rather than PC.

    The move comes the week after eBay announced that it expects Skype to more than double its revenue to over USD $1 billion by 2011 – with hopes high that the new business service will be a compelling proposition.

    Skype For SIP allows SIP PBX owners to make Skype calls to fixed phones and mobiles around the world, and to receive calls from Skype users directly into their PBX system.

    The service will also allow businesses to be contacted by Skype’s 405 million registered users through click-to-call from their Web sites.

    The calls will be received through their existing office system at no cost to the customer.

    At the same time, businesses can purchase online Skype numbers available in over 20 countries to receive calls from business contacts and customers who are using traditional fixed lines or mobile phones.

    Stefan Oberg, VP and general manager of Skype for Business, described the introduction of Skype for SIP as a significant move for Skype and for any communication intensive business around the world.

    "It effectively combines the obvious cost savings and reach of Skype with its large user base, with the call handling functionality, statistics and integration capabilities of traditional office PBX systems, providing great economical savings and increased productivity for the modern business," he said.

    The initial beta is available to a limited number of participants: SIP users, phone system administrators, developers and service partners are invited to apply.

    Applicants need to be businesses, have an installed SIP based IP-PBX system, as well as a level of technical competency to configure their own SIP-enabled PBX.

    The Skype for SIP beta program is open today to a limited number of participants; SIP users, phone system administrators, service partners, and developers can get in on the beta. Beta users will need to be businesses, have a SIP-based IP-PBX phone system, and in-house expertise to configure their SIP-enabled PBX.

    The SIP software will be available for free, but Skype plans to charge about 2.1 cents per minute for calls to landlines and cell phones. Calls from computers to phone systems using Skype will be free.

    Key Features of the Skype for SIP Beta include:

    • Receive and manage inbound calls from Skype users worldwide on SIP-enabled PBX systems; connecting the company Web site to the PBX system via click-to-call
    • Place calls with Skype to landlines and mobile phones worldwide from any connected SIP-enabled PBX; reducing costs with Skype’s low-cost global rates
    • Purchase Skype’s online numbers, to receive calls to the corporate PBX from landlines or mobile phones
    • Manage Skype calls using their existing hardware and system applications such as call routing, conferencing, phone menus and voicemail; no additional downloads or training are required

  • Google Launches Free Voice Service


    Google today launched a free service in the US called Google Voice that gives users access to all their phones, voicemail and text messages through one phone number.

    The move is being seen as a threat to Skype – but also to telecom operators and technology firms.

    Initially Google Voice will only be available to existing users of GrandCentral, a service Google acquired in July 2007.

    But it is expected to be rolled out to the general public in the coming weeks.

    Google says the application helps users manage their voice communications better by improving the way they use their phones.

    It provides transcripts of voicemail and allows all SMS text messages sent and received to be archived and searched.

    The service can also be used to make low-priced international calls.

    Google says the new service will be similar to GrandCentral but with many new features.

    GrandCentral gives users a single number to ring their home, work, and mobile phones, a central voicemail inbox that you can be accessed on the web, and the ability to screen calls by listening in live as callers leave a voicemail.

    The service has been invite-only for nearly two years and has a sizeable waiting list.

    It’s too early to say for sure whether Google Voice is the beginning of the end for operators as a "voice pipe".

    What’s certain is that combined with Android it could begin to make life very interesting for them.

    The fact yet more data could soon be passing through Google’s hands is also making privacy activists just a little concerned.

  • Skype Seeks To Establish Common Audio Codec by Offering High-Quality Silk for Free







    Skype is to license for free a high-quality audio codec in its latest VoIP software to any developer or vendor.

    Called Silk, the "super-wideband" codec delivers a sound quality that captures the full sound of the human voice.

    Jonathan Christensen, Skype’s general manager of audio and video, launched the licensing program earlier this week at the eComm conference in California.

    He said that the normal phone system uses a narrow band for voice, from 400Hz to 3,400Hz, that cuts off high and low frequencies.

    Silk allows Skype to reproduce the full range of typical voice frequencies audible to the human ear, from 50Hz to 12,000Hz.

    So, while traditional systems carry voice in a standard 64Kb per second (Kbps) channel – which has disadvantages, such as blurring the difference between similar sounds such as "f" and "s" – VoIP can be carried in a fatter pipe.

    This has allowed new codecs to be written to encode and decode voice at higher quality.

    Benefits of this include helping callers identify different speakers on conference calls and making calls sound generally warmer, according to Christensen.

    Additionally, the new codec requires half the network bandwidth of Skype’s previous version.

    Christensen said the codec will be made freely available to third-party developers. They will be able to use it in any device or application, with or without Skype.

    "We think this is a way the whole industry can come up to a new standard of voice quality," he said.

    Skype’s motivation for making Silk available for free is to expand the range of hardware and software clients its calling software works with by establishing a common codec for clients to adopt.

    This goes from PC software, headsets and videoconferencing systems to cordless phones and mobiles.

    Silk runs on x86 chipsets for Windows, Macintosh and Linux systems, and the software has been run on Arm and MIPS chip platforms.

    It is currently available as Skype 4.0 for Windows and as a Macintosh beta version 2.8. A final Mac version and one for Linux are due in April.

  • Nokia's New Handsets To Feature Skype


    It seems that eBay-owned Skype has the knack of always living up to its promises – at least if its new deal with mobile giant Nokia is anything to go by.

    Skype is linking up with Nokia to embed its calling software in the Finnish company’s new handsets, writes Aftab Bashir for VoIP.biz-news.

    The pair announced the deal at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Tuesday.

    It will see Nokia integrating Skype on its N97 handset by Q3 2009, and also in other N-series devices.

    Skype is to be integrated in handset address books and will give users access to online Skype contacts.

    Callers will also be able to use Skype’s instant-messaging client.

    N97 owners will be able to make low-cost and free calls over the internet, using either Wi-Fi or 3G.

    Skype-to-Skype calls are free while calls to mobile phones and landlines from Skype will be charged at low rates, according to the company.

    Nokia isn’t alone in announcing this type of arrangement at MWC – Sony Ericsson has also revealed that it is to add new Skype panels in its Xperia X1 Windows Mobile device.

    The panel will open Skype on the Xperia and offer presence, IM and calling functionality.

    The addition of Skype in handsets is being seen as a boon for international travelers as well as domestic users.

    As with many other VoIP providers, Skype is intent on driving down rates for international mobile calling.

  • eBay To Sell Skype?


    Skype’s future as an eBay company is looking increasingly unsure as speculation mounts over its possible sale.

    eBay’s chief executive, John Donahoe, has done nothing to ease expectations of a sell-off. Last week he told analysts that "synergies between Skype and the other parts of our portfolio are minimal" and that it is "a great standalone business".

    This follows his comments early last year when he said the company would be reassessed and sold if it did not benefit eBay or Skype.

    Analysts point to the lack of a logical integration between the telephony service and the auction site.

    Names being touted as potential buyers, include Google, which has shown interest in Skype in the past, and US telecoms giants AT&T and Verizon.

    eBay purchased Skype for USD $2.6bn purchase of Skype in 2005.

    In the auction company’s financial results for the last quarter of 2008, revenue fell 7 per cent to USD $2.04bn, below market expectations.

    Skype has seen revenues rise by 26 per cent.

    Skype is also said to be preparing new applications for its VoIP software which could be introduced at next month’s Mobile World Congress in Spain.

    These are expected to involve a dedicated application for Apple’s iPhone, a similar app for the BlackBerry Storm and via an update to Windows Mobile 6.5 itself.

    This month, the company introduced Skype lite, a no-frills client meant for Android-powered devices and the many mobile phones that are capable of running Java applications.