Skype - not that cheap

workaccount

I have been looking into skype there today. I was expecting to change over to skype and enjoy cheaper phone calls but meteor and other landline services are much cheaper.

So skype is still only really useful for skype to skype calls. Do many people use it for everyday calls? Have many people bought handsets?

JohnK

I think its really only cheaper for international calls so I'd always use it for that. I've noticed though that about 90% of the time the people I'm talking to usually comment on how bad the line quality is so I wouldnt be relying on it as my only method of phone calls. And no, I havent bought a handset. I've thought about it but I just couldnt be bothered to be honest.

Cabaal

Mobile calls don't get very cheap no matter what VoIP provider you choose, the real savings with VoIP and Skype is when it comes to landline calls, both national and especially International

rymus

dragging up old posts and all.. but if my shoddy maths are correct, if you buy a skype pro account for €24 per annum and (after a €30 discount on a skype in number) you pay €20 per annum for a geographic number, that gives you unlimited national calling for €44 per annum!?!

Add a couple of quid of credit every other month for international and other calls, and you've got one pretty cheap phone service. Or am I completely off the mark?

Was ready to jump for blueface, but even their entry level package seems expensive in comparison...

probe

rymus wrote:

dragging up old posts and all.. but if my shoddy maths are correct, if you buy a skype pro account for €24 per annum and (after a €30 discount on a skype in number) you pay €20 per annum for a geographic number, that gives you unlimited national calling for €44 per annum!?!

Add a couple of quid of credit every other month for international and other calls, and you've got one pretty cheap phone service. Or am I completely off the mark?

Was ready to jump for blueface, but even their entry level package seems expensive in comparison...

Skype's the best value in town - now that it offers Irish geographic incoming numbers. You can be staying in a hotel in bongo-bongo land and someone dials your Irish number and they get straight through at no extra cost. They hit voicemail if you are offline (in the pool!)- no big deal - if it is urgent they can call you on a mobile. You can divert all calls to your skype number to another number or transfer a particular call ("one moment please and I'll put you through to x" - connecting them to anyone else in the world with a few clicks). You can make broadcast quality podcasts over skype to skype conferences - virtually all the podcasters use it, it is FREE and the sound quality is *****. Skype is a no-brainer - even if you use another VoIP service as well.

.probe

rymus

probe wrote:

now that it offers Irish geographic incoming numbers.

Having monitored the skype in situation for the last while, this is pretty much all that was holding me back. Now I guess I've no excuse. I may supplement the skype with another VoIP service and get something like that philips dual phone but for now, skype pro looks like a good option.

dade

I know bugger all about voip but i received an email from the boss to look at using Skype in the office. apparently you can get a unit that plugs into your PBX and allows Skype calls.

http://www.cmgi.ie/artman/publish/article_42.shtml


Any one any thoughts on this or have they used similar before? Would it really offer reduced costs, a lot of our calls would be to Irish landlines or mobile calls.

I have a feeling that it may not be that much of an advantage as not a lot of people will pick it up coupled with the fact that we have a 3MB Eircom broadband for browsing, Exchange and then this then out connection may be over burdened.

anyone any thoughts on it or other info where i could look into it?

tak

I see no benefit to your firm from Skype, unless you are trading with teenagers abroad.
Skype rates are on:
http://www.skype.com/intl/en/prices/callrates/
and Blueface (the most common VoIP company) rates on:
http://www.blueface.ie/rates/rates.aspx

Mobile rates from all VoIP companies are no better than mobile-to-mobile call rates, sometimes a cent or two dearer. The savings are with calls to landlines.
So you will be retaining your mobile call arrangements in any case.

What is your phone set-up at present?
If it's just an Eircom business package then just go to a regular VoIP company (e.g. Blueface) and transfer your old geographic number to them.

dade

Eircom 30 channel PRI coming in AFAIK. 50 users in the office. PBX is a Toshiba Strata

for mobiles I was thinking of something like an air bridge unit (think that's what they are called) basically it has a sim card or two in it and you can program you pbx to route mobile calls out through them, so one for O2, one for Vodafone and one for Meteor if needed. each unit holds 2 sim cards so we can at least make 2 mobile to mobile calls at any one time to reduce those costs all we would need to do is get them on a good tarrif for reduced day time calls.

Basically one of the partners in the firm got an email from some good advertising it and now wants a report on if its a viable solution for us. My initial reaction is no coz our current system (Toshiba) only went n 2-3 years ago and i recently expanded it with 12 additional extensions so we've invested a hell of a lot in it.

Also I can only really see benefits for international calls but again only if the other person is on Skype. something we wouldn't do a whole hell of a lot of we're a law firm most of our clients are Irish, hell about half are based in Dublin.

tak

Dade,

No point in talking here any more. You need to thrash out the details now.
Call or better email that last description of your firm's set-up to Blueface.
Email: sales@blueface.ie
Tel: 01 524 2000.

I'd be very surprised if they couldn't sort you out a better deal on the set-up described.
They can route calls made to your office phone on to your mobile number.
They can also route calls made from your mobile to foreign mobiles via VoIP.
I've never had to consider 50 lines myself (one man show) but BF has a lot of business customers in Dublin so it should be into their barrow.