The Reign of Skype

March 26, 2009 kellyyoung

skype_logo1 Launched in 2003, Skype has quickly become the new and preferred way to make calls online. It is relatively easy to use, quick to set up and, the best part, free!

With so many telecommunication companies charging extravagant amounts of money to make calls, Skype is a good alternative for the Internet savvy and the Internet dull.

What is truly fascinating about Skype, however, is the fact that it handles more international calls than AT&T.

With reasonably affordable rates, Skype is taking over the telecommunications industry. Its users number in the millions; over 33 million active daily users and over 370 million user accounts as of 2008. And, Skype is adding roughly 30 million subscribers each quarter, according to some estimates. And this success has not gone unnoticed;eBay recently completed its acquisition for a cool $4.1 billion.

What Skype represents, however, is the looming threat of software taking over a traditionally physical market. What I mean by this is that we can expect more applications handling real-world needs in the future. Slowly but surely, everything around us is being digitized (like newspapers, for example).

Still, Skype offers an alternative to those pesky long-distance charges. From a student perspective, Skype is a blessing. Not only can we speak to our parents and friends from back home, but we can physically see them as well!

At any rate, Skype is, at the end of the day, another example of the online world expanding into our lives. And why not? Its convenience is unparalled, its ease is obvious.

Long live Skype!