Is Skype a VoIP service

Is Skype a VoIP service or it is a VoIP app? What is VoIP itself and how it changed the world? Does it have anything to do with phone communication and its prices?

First, let's define what these terms mean and if there is any difference between them, and then we'll be able to say does Skype use VoIP or not.

VoIP technology and how it helps the phone communication

VoIP stands for “Voice over Internet Protocol” which describes the essence of it: unimaginable volumes of digital data flow in the web constantly. They were documents, images or sounds in their source, then they were split into lots of the smallest data packets and sent via the network to obtain their original look at the destination point. Same can also be done with a voice. It can be converted into digital data and transferred from the point A to the point B.

The technology of converting a voice into digital form is not new, and it was not invented by VoIP providers. You obtain the fruits of it every time you click on a relatively small file in your favorite music player to listen to an orchestra or singing voices in all their grandeur. Also, the way to transfer video from one computer's camera to another machine is the same as the one provided by streaming services.

When they had come to an idea to use these technologies as an alternative to the usual phone connection, the revolution in communication occurred.

For a user it would look similar to every phone call: one sends a signal, then waits for the connection, hears the voice and talks.

However, VoIP phone calls were much cheaper due to the usage of the Internet. Besides, this technology added many options for the phone calls recording, saving and processing these data, statistics and analysis.

Using the Skype app for real-time communication with voice and video

Does Skype use VoIP technology? Of course it does. It provides an equivalent of the usual phone connection with advanced features like video and file transfers, and also it allows the application to do these tasks. Its mobile app is included into the predefined applications set of many Android-based mobile devices, thus, we can name it both the VoIP service and app.

It is not the only one in the world. Lots of similar startups have come and gone without even being noticed. Unlike most of them, Skype survived and has become the king in this VoIP sphere.

This was possible due to a very logical approach, as they've concentrated on making the product for users which would perform the main tasks. It does not matter for the user which technology is in operation and how exactly the platform works.

What matters is that one can launch the app on a computer or a mobile device and call with one click to a friend across thousands of miles. It is done for free, and they can talk for as long as they want as well as see each on the screen. Once this was science fiction, and now it is a common thing in our everyday lives.

So, the question is Skype a VoIP service has one definite answer: of course, it is. And it is not just a VoIP service, it is, perhaps, the most popular and powerful one among all competitors.

Several things made Skype the world leader among VoIP services.

First, it exists in many versions for any environment (all OS types for desktops and laptops, Android and iOS for smartphones and tablets, cloud version available via browser). If you want to use this service for calls and chats, no technical issue will stand on your way.

Second — or first for many users — it is free of charge for calls between Skype accounts, and no time restrictions take place there. Unlike international phone calls of the past (with their terrible prices per minute), with this VoIP service, you can talk for hours.

And last but not least is the quality, Skype provides the best sound and video among all the competitors in the field.

VoIP services are integrated into business processes, they've changed the way how business is run. Distance is not a problem anymore, with such things it's possible to call to a different country and receive an instant response for free if both counterparts are Skype users.

Of course, it requires Internet connection; free Wi-Fi coverage in many places and improvement of the mobile Internet allow it almost everywhere. At the same time, the advanced technological level of modern smartphones guarantees high quality of connection, sound and video. So, talking to your parents while being somewhere on another side of the planet and showing them the beautiful landscapes surrounding you is the most usual thing now.

Though Skype was not recommended and even prohibited for business calls and conferences in the past, now it is accepted widely. It was considered to be not secure enough, but it proved meeting the safety requirements. You'll see the Skype icon among the contact details on almost every business website.

Skype as the usual phone for calls

Besides all the things already described, it provides direct connection between Skype and cell phones: one can call from computer to the usual phone number. Thus, this product is also a phone provider, and a very successful one. In fact, it is considered to be the biggest phone communication service in the world with millions of users.

However, Skype-to-phone calls are paid, and they cost more than the same service offered by its main rivals like Viber. In Skype's defence, we can say that the quality of the phone calls is higher as well, and it has, perhaps, the best video quality.

New competitors among the instant messengers and VoIP phone providers arise and constantly offer many options to the users. They can be better looking or just match the needs of certain target audiences. Still, they all look up to Skype to try to excel it or to be absolutely different, or to offer the same functions at a smaller price, or else. They still follow the leader.