The hype over Skype
Internet telephony has been available in Poland through various portals for a while now, but with unreliable quality and a complicated billing structure, many have been reluctant to make the technological leap from landline to broadband calling. But the introduction of Skype - a global internet telephony service that offers international calls for the cost of a local connection, and computer-to-computer calls for free - is revolutionizing the way Poles are communicating.
The US is the only country with more users than Poland, where many have found it preferable to traditional phone operators, who charge much higher rates for international calls.
"We have a much higher penetration in countries like Brazil and Poland, where phone rates are high and service is hit or miss in some places," said company founder (and founder of the wildly popular P2P music file sharing program Kazaa) Niklas Zennström in a recent interview. "In Poland, for example, an awful lot of families have relatives in Chicago and other US cities, and so they place a lot of international calls."
Businesses too are beginning to realize the benefits. Thirty percent of Skype's 29 million registered users already use the service for business activities. The interest has prompted the company to develop a business version, due out later this year.
While this, along with Skype's instant messaging and SMS messaging capabilities, may threaten domestic providers, Krzysztof Szalwa, president of Poland's most popular instant messaging service Gadu-Gadu, isn't worried.
"I don't think that we will lose our market position," he said. "I believe people in Poland need a service aimed specifically at them."
However, it's Skype's worldwide capabilities that are making it popular among businesses. A global directory means you can find a contact anywhere on the planet. Some African businesses with North American or European headquarters have managed to cut business phone bills by 70 percent.
Skype does have some drawbacks, however. As of yet, it's still impossible to call to a Skype user from a regular phone. Conference calls are possible, but video capabilities may still be far off on the horizon.
"We want to concentrate on developing current services," said the company in a statement to the WBJ.
The US is the only country with more users than Poland, where many have found it preferable to traditional phone operators, who charge much higher rates for international calls.
"We have a much higher penetration in countries like Brazil and Poland, where phone rates are high and service is hit or miss in some places," said company founder (and founder of the wildly popular P2P music file sharing program Kazaa) Niklas Zennström in a recent interview. "In Poland, for example, an awful lot of families have relatives in Chicago and other US cities, and so they place a lot of international calls."
Businesses too are beginning to realize the benefits. Thirty percent of Skype's 29 million registered users already use the service for business activities. The interest has prompted the company to develop a business version, due out later this year.
While this, along with Skype's instant messaging and SMS messaging capabilities, may threaten domestic providers, Krzysztof Szalwa, president of Poland's most popular instant messaging service Gadu-Gadu, isn't worried.
"I don't think that we will lose our market position," he said. "I believe people in Poland need a service aimed specifically at them."
However, it's Skype's worldwide capabilities that are making it popular among businesses. A global directory means you can find a contact anywhere on the planet. Some African businesses with North American or European headquarters have managed to cut business phone bills by 70 percent.
Skype does have some drawbacks, however. As of yet, it's still impossible to call to a Skype user from a regular phone. Conference calls are possible, but video capabilities may still be far off on the horizon.
"We want to concentrate on developing current services," said the company in a statement to the WBJ.
