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Special Report: Skype Serving the Most VoIP Calls in the U.S.BY JOHANNE TORRES TMCnet VoIP Minute Watch Columnist Broadband network equipment maker Sandvine of Ontario Canada believes that Skype Technologies S.A. currently leads the VoIP provider pack in North America. Sandvine announced today that it found that the Luxembourg-based Internet telephony service provider is the company that serves an astounding 35.8 percent of all VoIP calls in the U.S. Sandvine monitors traffic across service provider networks representing over 40 percent of the US broadband market. According to a report made by the broadband network equipment maker, "Skype takes an even more commanding lead of 46.2 percent when it comes to share of minutes, suggesting that Skype users are also making longer calls. Other PC-based VoIP services like Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL chat are distant seconds." The company's research revealed that third party paid VoIP providers represent 35.7 percent of all VoIP minutes. It also found that broadband service providers hold the strongest position in this category since joining the race, quickly closing the gap with an 18.1 percent share of all VoIP minutes on their network. According to Sandvine, Vonage, Primus, and AT&T CallVantage capture the next three positions. "VoIP consumes minimal bandwidth on a broadband service provider's network. Understanding which subscribers are using VoIP, how much of it, and for how long gives service providers actionable data to prioritize VoIP traffic and ensure optimal quality of experience," said Tom Donnelly, Sandvine executive vice president, marketing and sales. "VoIP represents a small percentage of bandwidth, but a very large revenue opportunity for broadband service providers," said Lindsay Schroth, senior analyst, Broadband Access Technologies, Yankee Group. "Broadband providers can capitalize on this opportunity by protecting their subscribers' VoIP service and delivering a consistent, reliable, and high-quality service." Skype made news recently when the company announced it added voicemail to its popular service. First available in beta in April 2005, Skype Voicemail became the company’s second pre-paid premium offering. Customers with Skype Voicemail can leave unlimited Voicemail messages for all Skype users when they are unavailable or offline, and can receive Voicemails from any caller. Skype Voicemail also allows customers the flexibility to send pre-recorded voice greetings to any other Skype user, regardless if the recipient is also a subscriber to the service. SkypeIn beta customers from the eight countries in the beta test can also receive Voicemail messages from ordinary fixed or mobile phones. Consumers can personalize Skype Voicemail, set their answer preferences, customize their greeting and receive messages up to 10 minutes long. Skype Voicemail subscriptions are available for $7 for 3 months or $19 for one year. Orders may be pre-paid with a credit card or via PayPal or Moneybookers at the Skype Store. Sandvine Inc. http://www.sandvine.com Johanne Torres is contributing editor for TMCnet. To see more articles by Johanne Torres, please visit: http://www.tmcnet.com/tmcnet/columnists/columnist.aspx?id=100006&nm=Johanne% 20Torres |