LUXEMBOURG--(COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Oct. 25, 2005--Imagine never having to pay for a phone call again. Savvy college students all over the world are leading the 61 million people jumping on the fastest-growing communications revolution in history. Students everywhere are Skyping friends and family worldwide using their computers, cellphones and PDAs. Today, Skype announced that families, sororities and rotary clubs can catch the wave and buy pre-paid minutes to distribute among any group that wants to receive one bill for multiple calling plans.
Students who are trendsetters know that modern and free are the best way to communicate. As a new generation comfortable with technology, we are not tied to the notion that we should be chained to a 100-year-old phone system, or phone numbers tied to a fixed location. We are choosing to be mobile, saving time and money, and all about having one ID where anyone can reach us anytime. Even while doing a Peace Corp stint in Sri Lanka.
Skype, the Global Internet Communications Company, makes computers ring just like a phone and allows free calls between any callers who have downloaded the software. Skype is global, which means that students can spend hours speaking to family and friends worldwide at no cost. Worried about calling your boyfriend who is studying abroad? Don`t. It`s free. Additional inexpensive services such as SkypeOut let you call old school phones, and SkypeIn gives you a regular phone number to receive incoming calls, so you can forward free calls to your cellphone or Sidekick.
The average American household spends nearly a thousand dollars a year on telecommunications, and most parents would be happy to foot the bill for Skype if they thought they could talk to us more, especially for free. College students live on tight budgets, and this isn`t where we want to spend our scarce dollars. A new service called Skype Groups, launching today, lets parents buy groups of pre-paid Skype minutes so we can call our friends and relatives at a fraction of the cost.
How Skype Works
When people use Skype call each other, the call travels directly between computers. Skype`s technology cleverly finds the person you want to speak to, and the quality is much better � you aren�t going to worry about dropping your call. Skype calls are also end-to-end encrypted, ensuring that no one can listen in to your conversation.
Skype is simple to use -- all you need to get started is a broadband connection and a basic PC headset or handset. It takes less than a minute to install and requires no special configuration. It can be used behind most firewalls and gateways, without any security risks.
Skype works on Linux, Mac, Pocket PC and Windows. You can use Skype anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection, perfect for students on the move. You can use Skype with your Pocket PC, PDAs and laptops, or forward calls to your cell phone.
What You Can Do With Skype
By Skyping someone, you can save money while experiencing the best sound quality for talking, laughing and sharing stories. Skype lets you do things beyond the limits of ordinary phones, like instant messaging, conference calling and transferring files securely.
Inexpensive pre-paid services provide an economical way to connect to old world phones and cell phones worldwide � since they`re pre-paid you never have to worry about billing surprises.
* SkypeOut lets you call ordinary cell phone and landlines for competitive rates, less than $0.02 a minute to most destinations.
* SkypeIn lets callers obtain a personal SkypeIn number and receive incoming calls from ordinary telephones. So even if you`re in college at Berkeley you can still get a phone number from your home town outside Chicago.
* Skype Groups lets anyone buy pre-paid minutes and distribute them among family members, across the sorority or any group that wants to receive one bill for multiple calling plans.
* Skype Voicemail lets you leave, send and receive messages up to 10 minutes long and customize your voicemail with a variety of personalization and privacy features.
* Personalize Skype lets you show off your individuality with original pictures, ringtones and sounds.
* Skype Zones offers affordable access to Skype over Wi-Fi at 18,000 convenient locations
* Skype Call Forwarding lets you forward your incoming calls on to cell phones, landlines and to other Skype Names so you never miss a call, even if you�re offline.
Fast and Instant Gratification
Once you`ve downloaded Skype, you can immediately instant message with others, set up group chats and transfer files. With an inexpensive headset, you can take advantage of all that Skype offers, including Skype`s free, high quality voice calling.
Skype is as easy to use as launching a web browser. Skype even offers a `Getting Started Wizard` that walks callers through some of Skype`s most popular features.
With Skype, you can instantly make conference calls and host group chats for work and study groups, or to connect with your high school friends across the country. You can even collaborate with friends at other universities for great research help � these smart tools help you get your homework done so you can get on with your life.
Once you`re Skyping, you`ll discover that it`s great to be with the fast crowd. More than 61 million people are already using Skype, and we have a caller-built Global Directory that helps you find them. You can also make calls with one-click from Outlook or Internet Explorer with the Skype Toolbars, so you can instantly make travel plans home, call in sick to work, or call any other Skype callers in your Outlook address book.
And stay tuned ... Skype will unveil even more innovations this year, including Skype Video.
Learn More
For more information about Internet voice communications, visithttps://f="https://www.skype.com/">www.skype.com. To download Skype to your computer, simply click the download link athttps://f="https://www.skype.com/">www.skype.com and save the installation file to your computer.
Notes to Editors:
We are happy to arrange an interview with a Skype executive or college students using Skype, as well as provide photos and case studies of college and graduate students using Skype and saving money.
If you would like to try Skype yourself, please contact us to receive a media package including the software and a headset.
About Skype Technologies S.A.:
Skype, the Global Internet Communications Company(TM), allows people everywhere to make free, unlimited, superior quality voice calls via its award-winning innovative peer-to-peer software for Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and Pocket PC platforms. Skype is available in 27 languages and is the fastest growing voice communications offering worldwide. Since its launch in August 2003, Skype has been downloaded more than 186 million times in 225 countries and territories. 61 million people are registered to use Skype`s free services, with more than 3 million people using Skype simultaneously at any one time. Skype earns revenue through its premium service offerings, and has a growing network of global affiliates, and a community of developers working with the Skype APIs. Skype Technologies SA is headquartered in Luxembourg and has offices in London and Estonia. www.skype.com
Media Contact:
Sara Myers
Skype Name: saramyersla
Tel: +44 1865 396844
[email protected]
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