What makes the world number one to all operators

Skype is no longer a pariah among telecoms operators. Best free or inexpensive phone calls over the Internet specialist begins to make friends. Yesterday, Congress World of the mobile of Barcelona, John Stratton, the marketing director of Verizon Wireless, first mobile operator in the United States, attended the press conference the company created in 2003 by the Swedish Niklas Zennström and his Danish colleague Janus Friis. The telecom giant will allow mobile subscribers to "mobile voice over IP" calls with Skype via a 3 G connection.

In practical terms, this means that two a Skype account holders can call free anywhere in the world with their mobile if they have a package, "data" unlimited. Verizon Wireless isn't is firing a bullet in the foot To David Kerr, Strategy Analytics, on the contrary is a smart decision on the part of an operator which generates less than 10 of its revenues through international calls. "The issue is less important than for France Telecom or Deutsche Telekom." In any event, large operators will inevitably have to voice over IP. "With 40.5 million users end of 2009, according to the consulting company, the mobile VoIP market is expected to double by early 2011.

The American leader of the mobile, who has not obtained the right to distribute the iPhone will differentiate to ATT. In addition, it will be able to reduce its costs, points out David Kerr: "voice over IP passes on data networks which benefit from a better compression than traditional networks." It therefore cost less to operate, probably from 30 to 50 less.

Several actors have are already positioned on the mobile market, the start-up Fring to Google Voice, present on the iPhone. But the pioneer is Skype, whose market share in terms of minutes of international communications, mobile and fixed included, amounted to 12, according to Telegeography. What makes the world number one, to all operators. While the traffic slowed down because of the crisis, the volume of calls to Skype took off: 51 in 2008 (between two accounts Skype), probably 63 in 2009.

Great ambitions

And this troublemaker of the Telecom has big ambitions. This on the iPhone and Symbian, Skype has also moved on the BlackBerry and Android phones. With equipment suppliers, discussions are underway with all but a partnership has already concluded with Nokia, which integrates Skype into its high range N900 "smartphone" address book. Operators, other agreements should be signed this year, including some in Europe. Free does not hide his intention to do the voice over IP with its mobile licence. In the United Kingdom, Italy and Australia, '3' mobile operator Hutchison, who is an outsider in the markets where it is present, is already Skype partner. A study conducted in England by CCS Insight shows that Skype clients generate almost 60 of revenues and more in the voice, spend 33 more SMS and especially are more faithful. "The operators see us as a threat, while we can be complementary." "We don't want taking them their clients but help them deepen their relationship", said Russ Shaw, the responsible for the Europe of Skype mobile activity.