[Technical] Skype ready for both telephone worlds

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>
Date: November 28, 2004 12:26:00 PM EST
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <dewayne-net () warpspeed com>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] Skype ready for both telephone worlds
Reply-To: dewayne () warpspeed com

Skype ready for both telephone worlds
By Ben Charny
CNET News.com  November 9, 2004, 9:00 PM PT
URL:  http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-5445922.html

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An adapter made by Siemens to extend Internet access to cordless phones 
is now loaded with Skype Net phone software, allowing the same phone to 
make calls using the Internet or the traditional phone network.

 The coupling of Internet and traditional telephony in a single phone 
is hard to find now, but it could become more common in years to come 
if, as expected, more calls flow over the unregulated Internet rather 
than heavily taxed traditional phone networks.

 For decades, the only way to sell local phone services was over the 
local phone network, which is privately owned. But Skype is among a 
wave of new companies offering voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) 
technology, which uses the Internet to make calls. By using VoIP 
technology, any broadband connection, whether cable, satellite, cell 
phone, Wi-Fi or WiMax, can become a home phone line.

While there are several jury-rigged methods out there that could 
achieve the same results, the Siemens-Skype adapter stands out 
nonetheless because of the pedigree of those involved in its creation. 
Siemens is among the largest phone manufacturers in the world, and 
Skype is the most popular VoIP service provider in the world, with more 
than 1 million users.

"Siemens is delivering a giant step forward for Internet telephony for 
the residential market," Niklas Zennstrom, Skype's chief executive, 
said in a statement.

 As with most other Internet phone service providers, Skype is also 
trying to be compatible with as many Internet-enabled devices as 
possible. VoIP started on PCs, which aren't always well-suited for 
phone calling. Personal digital assistants and cell phones are a new 
favorite target of many VoIP providers. Zennstrom said he believes 
Skype's effort regarding cordless phones is a pioneering one.

 The adapter is not for the price-sensitive and is available only in 
Europe for now. The Siemens Gigaset M34USB adapter is $129, while the 
six compatible Siemens Gigaset phones cost between $65 and $260. To 
spur sales, Siemens offers the adapter along with 120 minutes of 
SkypeOut, a Skype service that lets people place calls to traditional 
phones from their own high-speed Internet connections. Skype phone 
calls that are made among PCs and which stay on the Internet are free.

In another major development, Skype on Tuesday also made public a 
method for programmers writing applications to involve Skype software 
in some way. "We are keen to watch the world's innovative developer 
community integrate the Skype application," Zennstrom said in a 
statement.

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