Presented by Kathleen Ritchie COMP 1631 – Winter 2011 Mount Allison University

Skype is a software used to make voice and video calls over the internet. It doesn’t stop there, it has many other features that users can utilize for a fee or quite often for free! What is Skype?

Voice and video calls Voic Instant Messaging Text Messages Calls to landlines and mobile phone Screen Sharing Send Files Video Conferencing Features

Skype Facts Founded in 2003 by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis and developed by Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu and Jaan Tallinn The headquarters is in Luxenbourg, however, most of the development team is in Tallin, Estonia Owned by an investment group by the name of Silver Lake. Included in this group are some familiar names such as eBay and Canadian Pension Plan Investment Skype reported 124 million users per month in the second quarter of 2010 There are currently 83 jobs available with Skype world wide!

The Technology Behind Skype Skype uses a technology referred to as Internet telephony, peer-to-peer, P2P, IP telephony, broadband telephony, voice over broadband and many others. For the purpose of this presentation we are going to refer to it as VoIP.

The Technology Behind Skype - continued Skype also uses a technology called Peer-to-Peer. Skype.com explains: “A true P2P system, in our opinion, is one where all nodes in a network join together dynamically to participate in traffic routing-, processing- and bandwidth intensive tasks that would otherwise be handled by central servers”. For the purpose of this presentation, we are going to focus on VoIP

What is VoIP? Voice Over Internet Protocol VoIP allows you to make call over the internet instead of over a traditional telephone, also referred to as Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). Can be used to call local numbers, other computers, all by using your computer (with microphone and sound card) or your home phone with a VoIP adapter

How it Works It converts your analogue voice signal to a digital one and transmits it over the internet High Speed internet is required! As well as, Software such as Skype Microphone (sometimes camera) Or telephone with VoIP adapter

How it Works – continued

A brief video about VoIP

Consequences of VoIP - Pros The costs to the provider and the user are significantly less than PSTN The infrastructure is already in place All that is needed is an internet connection which the user pays an internet provider for There is no such thing as long distance because it is all just “internet” It is because of this that it is possible that area codes will become obsolete It converges voice, image and data Offers a portable telephone number Makes moving much easier Can be used while travelling

Consequences of VoIP - Cons There is trouble with 911 calls Your location cannot be know unless your VoIP provider, ie Vonage, has your home address on file 911 calls made are automatically rerouted to a national emergency dispatch then forward to your local emergency dispatch centre Service being interrupted by power outages The threat of viral attacks Such as call flooding attacks It threatens companies that offer traditional phone service It isn’t a guaranteed that a call can be traced to a specific location

Companies offering VoIP services – to name a few

What is to come VoIP over mobile phone becoming increasingly popular (both voice and video) Firmer government regulation Increasing number of users and increasing popularity More competition in the VoIP market, therefore offering consumers more choice and better rates Increasing business use Increased security threats with increased use What are your predictions?

References About Skype (February, 2011). Skype.com. Retrieved on February 1, 2011 from DBJ's Most-Read Stories 2010: OoVoo vs. Skype: Tech firm gaining ground on larger rival (February 1, 2011). Dayton Business Journal. Retrieved on February 1, 2011 from read-stories htmlhttp:// read-stories html Rabeau, Yves (May 2005). Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP): A Unique Opportunity for Genuine Competition in Local Telephone Service. Retrieved on January 21, 2011 from Sudhir R. Ahuja, Robert Ensor (2004). VoIP: What is it good for? From ACMQueue. Retrieved on January 21, 2011 from Voice Over Internet Protocol (2010). Federal Commutations Commission. Retrieved on February 1 st, 2011 from Vonage. Retrieved on January 30, 2011 from What is Voip? (September, 2010). Retrieved on February 2, 2011 from