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Date:  Sat, 01 Oct 2005 12:46:56 -0400 (EDT)
Sender: os2-wireless_users-owner <os2-wireless_users-owner@2rosenthals.com>
Reply-To: os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com
From:  "Hakan" <os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com>
To:  "os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com" <os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com>
Subject: [OS2Wireless] VoIP on eCS

On Sat, 01 Oct 2005 19:35:01 +0300, Stan Goodman wrote:

>** Reply to message from Hakan <agents@meddatainc.com> on Sat, 01 Oct 2005
>12:08:40 -0400 (EDT)
>
>> There is no doubt that Skype's current business idea will be left
>> behind as VoIP solutions not requiring computers become more
>> commonplace.  Such offerings have been available in the U.S. for
>> probably two years, do exist in Europe, and today we saw Stan's message
>> that he just started using it in Israel.  I will grant Skype credit for
>> giving VoIP calling a higher profile, though, but as a long-term
>> business venture, forget about it.  Earlier this year, Skype itself
>> declared that they would develop their own telephone so that a computer
>> would no longer be needed, ultimately killing off their current
>> solution themselves.
>
>That's interesting, because I think it implies major changes in the way that
>Skype operates. Someone has mentioned that Skype actually uses the computers of
>its subscribers as relays. Unless the under-development special Skype
>subscriber sets are capable of relaying, it means a different kind of operation.

Stan, yes, it is a big change and my take is that Skype realizes that
their current solution has limited appeal and that as technology
evolves, they will be left behind.  On your other point, I find it very
hard to believe that individual users' computers would be used as
relays.  Why would they be?  This is /not/ a peer-to-peer network.  I
assume that Skype functions as any other VoIP service, it runs over the
internet until the call needs to be terminated and switched to the
regular POTS net.  I use Lingo for my non-computer dependent VoIP
service and many times when I call Europe, the number on the caller ID
box of the recipient begins with 44 signifying a call from the U.K., I
thusly assume the call is terminated in the U.K. and travels over the
regular POTS net from there on.  Everyone needs to bear in mind that it
is /not/ possible to call regular phone subscribers anywhere for free
since all calls need to switch from the internet to the regular POTS
network (or cellular network) somewhere. 

>What's missing, BTW, from the arrangement that I described for my fixed home
>telephone seervice is that it leaves me with no solution when I'm travelling
>out of the country. In a perfect world, I would be able to reach my VoIP
>provider account from my laptop plugged into a public LAN abroad, and the
>provider would complete the call to a telephone subscriber somewhere on the
>planet.

Yes, I can take my Lingo adapter box with me anywhere and still be
reachable on my Lingo number, make calls and use all other features as
well, of course.  In fact, I will take it with me to Warpstock next
week and I have already used it when traveling both in the U.S. and in
Europe and it worked fine as expected.

>-- 
>Stan Goodman
>Qiryat Tiv'on
>Israel
>
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