Tech Blog

[#1]

Though rumoured for months, the final move seemed to happen a little quietly this weekend when Skype released an update (version 2.0.0) that now allows the VoIP app to work on compatible smartphones with 3G. That means iPhone owners will now be able to make free calls using just their data and not their airtime minutes. Although it's only free till the end of August in the U.S., Canadians will get the feature free till the end of 2010.

While the screenshot on the side says "until at least the end of August 2010," I can confirm that us Canucks get a reprieve till the end of the year. This includes iPad users as well, by the way. Once that period is up, Skype will charge a “minimal monthly fee” to continue using the service over 3G. Use over Wi-Fi will still be free. The rub in all this is that you’d have to pay extra when you’re already dishing out for a data plan. But it’s also a bit premature, since there’s no ballpark on what the monthly fee would be.

Despite the probable backlash over the added monthly fee, the money isn’t that much when you look at it from another perspective. This move is just the beginning of what could ultimately lead to the dissolution of airtime voice plans, which are largely overpriced anyway. Even if I pay $30 a month just for airtime minutes, I could still save money making most of my calls via Skype — and that includes calls to landlines and cell phones, which cost pennies from your Skype account.

Maybe, just maybe, the day will come where all we’ll need is a data plan to make and take calls. For the moment, the carriers won’t have any of that, and there still is a value to having a mobile number. Having one of those with Skype, a la a SkypeIn subscription, still costs money too.

But still, I see the benefit on the long distance side of things. Being able to speak to someone from across the world while commuting to work is a cool scenario, especially when the cost of data usage would pale in comparison to actual airtime.

That’s why I say that this move by Skype could be big eventually for everyday calls, but for now, it makes long distance chatting a lot easier just about anywhere and anytime.

[#2]

This would be fantastic if Skype would release their BlackBerry version for... well, everyone other than just a few select American clients.

[#3]

FYI in Canada the Skype calling over 3G is free until the end of 2010. It's the USA that its free until the end of August. Said so in my iPhone update page.

[#4]

Thanks for your comment, Adam. I do stand corrected — Skype calls over 3G in Canada are indeed free till the end of 2010. Thanks for pointing it out!