SkypeIn, Skype Voicemail Part 2... How to make a good thing better

Ok, so the day has finally arrived, after much posturing and speculation by everyone (including me, a long time beta tester) in the internet community Skype 1.2 is released in beta.

Key Features :

1. Skype In - assign a phone number to your PC.
2. Skype Voicemail - if your not online or if you're speaking it takes a message.
3. Video isn't here yet, but stayed tuned, they have said it is coming...
4. And some really great API enhancements that I have been waiting for.
   

The pricing is available on the main Skype account page - it is dirt cheap. Adding these features puts Skype on pretty much a level playing field for the basic features that Vonage and the other PoIP providers offer, and a one fell swoop, can turn a little internet company into a major revenue generating business overnight. The cost of the voicemail infrastructure will be insignificant compared to the potential revenue that it will generate for Skype. If 10 million users pay 30 Euro's !! a year, no other word to describe it other than WOW.

Is this realistic? Yeah, 100 %. Currently all the PoIP services charge a minimum of $14.99 US a month, plus LD above 500 minutes of PSTN a month, plus the sign up and cost of your ATA, and extra $ if you want to use a softphone. For $40.00 USD a year with Skype, you get a phone number, and voicemail service. This doesn't include your Skype Out minutes (calls to regular phones), they are about 2.5 cents pretty much anywhere in the world, and naturally Skype to Skype is free. Lets say you use the $14.99 Vonage plan. It would cost you $180.00 a year, pretty cheap actually. Skype would be $40.00 a year, plus however much PSTN calling you want to use. $140.00 of SkypeOut PSTN calling would be about 5600 anytime minutes you want to use. Use 1000 one month and 0 the next, it wouldn't matter.

Time for a Skype IPO?? Damn straight, I am in for sure, the difference between Skype and the dot com companies of the great bubble era and todays PoIP providers , is pretty obvious. They haven't spent 200 million on advertising this year - they haven't spent any, cost of a new customer isn't $150-$200.oo it is pennies, and; they have more users than all the other VoIP sevices combined and they are going to make money, a lot of money, all the time saving me a fortune in telecom costs. Go Skype.