3 offfer free Skype on PAYG

wavejockglw · 29-10-2007, 08:59

From BBC News....

Mobile phone provider 3 has launched a new pre-paid handset that will allow users to make free calls over the internet via telephony service Skype. Users will also be able to use Skype's instant messaging service, 3 said.

But while people using Skype on their computers are able to make cheap global calls to any phone number, this will not be possible via the new 3 handset.

Skype has about 246 million registered users worldwide and is one of the firms reshaping the global phone industry.

To date, mobile phone companies have been unwilling to let users freely access Skype via their handsets for fear that it would hurt their business.

While it is possible to access Skype from a number of handsets, this has involved downloading third-party software, something that has put off the majority of users.

The Skype-phone will be the first instance of a phone operator launching a mass market device that is designed to allow free calling over the internet from a mobile, 3 said.

"It takes an innovative operator... to challenge traditional thinking and offer the kind of product other operators are still shying away from," said Skype's acting chief executive, Michael van Swaaij.

"It's is now truly mobile. Skype has now taken a giant step forward in the mobile arena.

And chief executive of 3 UK, Kevin Russell, said the firm wanted to make mobile internet more accessible.

"Services need to be simple to access and affordable," he said.

"Mobile has the potential to massively increase access to internet calling."

The service, launching on 2 November, will be accessed by a button on the handset.

As well as the UK, the 3 Skype-phone will be launched in countries including Australia, Denmark, Italy and Hong Kong.

Pay as you go customers will have to top up their account with at least £10 each month to qualify for the free Skype-to-Skype calls, 3 said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7066271.stm

prking · 29-10-2007, 15:54

I can't work out how they will make this pay. In the small print it says you can use Skype for free on any three phone with a suitable client (ie Windows Mobile)

chyllyphylly · 29-10-2007, 16:08

more details.....

Basicly its £50 on p&g. Got to top up £10 a month

http://www.three.co.uk/personal/prod...kype_phone.omp

chris20 · 29-10-2007, 16:15

very good price for a phone that has this as a service plus all the 3 services

chyllyphylly · 29-10-2007, 16:18

i agree, but there's one thing letting this down.

3's customer service. I had a 3 phone once, thought it was great, but the call center is in india, so left them and joined o2

chris20 · 29-10-2007, 16:27

when was you last with 3. i have been since day one the first 2 years there customer service where rubbish and they had a few problems now they offer some of the best services and phones in the world there customer service has improved so so much.

Mr Cable · 29-10-2007, 17:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by prking

I can't work out how they will make this pay. In the small print it says you can use Skype for free on any three phone with a suitable client (ie Windows Mobile)

The 'Suitable' Skype client is the one provided by 3 themselves and as they currently don't offer any handsets with Windows Mobile, I can't see them bending over backwards to make these work.

This client has been available for the best part of a year on High-end Nokias (And a few others) but now they've been rolling it out to other phones - most notibly entry level Sony Ericssons as ALL new Pay Monthly customers on compatible handsets get a wodge of Skype to Skype minutes - even without the X-Series add-on.

prking · 29-10-2007, 17:47

Skype offer a Windows Mobile client which could be used with one of 3's sim-only tariffs.

Mr Cable · 29-10-2007, 22:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by prking

Skype offer a Windows Mobile client which could be used with one of 3's sim-only tariffs.

Erm, I could be wrong here but 3 don't actually have any Sim Only tariffs, do they?

Also, I suppose you could try and use it with a 'normal' monthly price plan but I'd be suprised if it just worked via the Free 3 Skype to Skype system off the bat and while there appears to be no VoIP restrictions on Xseries silver at the moment, nothing is forever.

prking · 30-10-2007, 10:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Cable

Erm, I could be wrong here but 3 don't actually have any Sim Only tariffs, do they?

Check the three website for details of their price-plans and the terms and conditions of free skype.
three.co.uk/price_plans/pay_as_you_go/sim_only.omp

MaxCherry · 30-10-2007, 10:57

Have a read of this, it puts a different spin on things:

VoIP is Dead. It's just another feature, now

http://www.theregister.com/2007/10/29/skype_3_analysis/

Mr Cable · 30-10-2007, 17:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by prking

Check the three website for details of their price-plans and the terms and conditions of free skype.
three.co.uk/price_plans/pay_as_you_go/sim_only.omp

Your link doesn't appear to work.

Anyway, I've had a look meself and they don't have any Sim-only TARIFFS, they seem to refer to their £4.99 PAYG SIM Card as a SIM ONLY deal.

Here is the current price guide .pdf

3 are quite clear that Skype Access via them is HANDSET DEPENDANT. I would really hope they do work with a Windows Mobile, I wouldn't want someone to take out a new contract with the hope it does and then have 3 refuse to offer technical support.

Tadpole · 01-11-2007, 21:48

Difficult to find much info on it, but from various sites.

The phone is built by Chinese manufacturer Amoi
Skypeout is disabled, due to "technical difficulties"
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/29/3_skype_go/

Skype client is from iSkoot, not from Skype themselves
There are many restrictions compared to Skype on a PC
Audio is not as good as for standard Skype
http://skypejournal.com/blog/2007/10...oipless_m.html
http://www.iskoot.com/skype.php

Official page from Skype themselves
http://www.skype.com/intl/en-gb/allf...s/3skypephone/

Official page from 3
http://3skypephone.com/

Draft manual for the phone
http://3skypephone.com/english/doc/3...user-guide.pdf

All of the above is from website reports and a bit of work in google. I don't have the phone but I'd consider getting one if it works and the skypeout block is lifted.

29-10-2007, 08:59	#1
wavejockglw Inactive Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Glasgow Posts: 10,276	3 offfer free Skype on PAYG From BBC News.... Mobile phone provider 3 has launched a new pre-paid handset that will allow users to make free calls over the internet via telephony service Skype. Users will also be able to use Skype's instant messaging service, 3 said. But while people using Skype on their computers are able to make cheap global calls to any phone number, this will not be possible via the new 3 handset. Skype has about 246 million registered users worldwide and is one of the firms reshaping the global phone industry. To date, mobile phone companies have been unwilling to let users freely access Skype via their handsets for fear that it would hurt their business. While it is possible to access Skype from a number of handsets, this has involved downloading third-party software, something that has put off the majority of users. The Skype-phone will be the first instance of a phone operator launching a mass market device that is designed to allow free calling over the internet from a mobile, 3 said. "It takes an innovative operator... to challenge traditional thinking and offer the kind of product other operators are still shying away from," said Skype's acting chief executive, Michael van Swaaij. "It's is now truly mobile. Skype has now taken a giant step forward in the mobile arena. And chief executive of 3 UK, Kevin Russell, said the firm wanted to make mobile internet more accessible. "Services need to be simple to access and affordable," he said. "Mobile has the potential to massively increase access to internet calling." The service, launching on 2 November, will be accessed by a button on the handset. As well as the UK, the 3 Skype-phone will be launched in countries including Australia, Denmark, Italy and Hong Kong. Pay as you go customers will have to top up their account with at least £10 each month to qualify for the free Skype-to-Skype calls, 3 said. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7066271.stm

29-10-2007, 15:54	#2
prking Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Weston-super-Mare Posts: 9,167	I can't work out how they will make this pay. In the small print it says you can use Skype for free on any three phone with a suitable client (ie Windows Mobile)

29-10-2007, 16:08	#3
chyllyphylly Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 845	more details..... Basicly its £50 on p&g. Got to top up £10 a month http://www.three.co.uk/personal/prod...kype_phone.omp

29-10-2007, 16:15	#4
chris20 Guest Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 3,556	very good price for a phone that has this as a service plus all the 3 services

29-10-2007, 16:18	#5
chyllyphylly Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 845	i agree, but there's one thing letting this down. 3's customer service. I had a 3 phone once, thought it was great, but the call center is in india, so left them and joined o2

29-10-2007, 16:27	#6
chris20 Guest Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 3,556	when was you last with 3. i have been since day one the first 2 years there customer service where rubbish and they had a few problems now they offer some of the best services and phones in the world there customer service has improved so so much.

29-10-2007, 17:25	#7
Mr Cable Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 2,868	Quote: Originally Posted by prking I can't work out how they will make this pay. In the small print it says you can use Skype for free on any three phone with a suitable client (ie Windows Mobile) The 'Suitable' Skype client is the one provided by 3 themselves and as they currently don't offer any handsets with Windows Mobile, I can't see them bending over backwards to make these work. This client has been available for the best part of a year on High-end Nokias (And a few others) but now they've been rolling it out to other phones - most notibly entry level Sony Ericssons as ALL new Pay Monthly customers on compatible handsets get a wodge of Skype to Skype minutes - even without the X-Series add-on.

29-10-2007, 17:47	#8
prking Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Weston-super-Mare Posts: 9,167	Skype offer a Windows Mobile client which could be used with one of 3's sim-only tariffs.

29-10-2007, 22:37	#9
Mr Cable Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 2,868	Quote: Originally Posted by prking Skype offer a Windows Mobile client which could be used with one of 3's sim-only tariffs. Erm, I could be wrong here but 3 don't actually have any Sim Only tariffs, do they? Also, I suppose you could try and use it with a 'normal' monthly price plan but I'd be suprised if it just worked via the Free 3 Skype to Skype system off the bat and while there appears to be no VoIP restrictions on Xseries silver at the moment, nothing is forever.

30-10-2007, 10:12	#10
prking Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Weston-super-Mare Posts: 9,167	Quote: Originally Posted by Mr Cable Erm, I could be wrong here but 3 don't actually have any Sim Only tariffs, do they? Check the three website for details of their price-plans and the terms and conditions of free skype. three.co.uk/price_plans/pay_as_you_go/sim_only.omp

30-10-2007, 10:57	#11
MaxCherry Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Manchester Posts: 8,825	Have a read of this, it puts a different spin on things: VoIP is Dead. It's just another feature, now http://www.theregister.com/2007/10/29/skype_3_analysis/

30-10-2007, 17:29	#12
Mr Cable Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 2,868	Quote: Originally Posted by prking Check the three website for details of their price-plans and the terms and conditions of free skype. three.co.uk/price_plans/pay_as_you_go/sim_only.omp Your link doesn't appear to work. Anyway, I've had a look meself and they don't have any Sim-only TARIFFS, they seem to refer to their £4.99 PAYG SIM Card as a SIM ONLY deal. Here is the current price guide .pdf 3 are quite clear that Skype Access via them is HANDSET DEPENDANT. I would really hope they do work with a Windows Mobile, I wouldn't want someone to take out a new contract with the hope it does and then have 3 refuse to offer technical support.

01-11-2007, 21:48	#13
Tadpole Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Solihull, West Mids Posts: 1,609	Difficult to find much info on it, but from various sites. The phone is built by Chinese manufacturer Amoi Skypeout is disabled, due to "technical difficulties" http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/29/3_skype_go/ Skype client is from iSkoot, not from Skype themselves There are many restrictions compared to Skype on a PC Audio is not as good as for standard Skype http://skypejournal.com/blog/2007/10...oipless_m.html http://www.iskoot.com/skype.php Official page from Skype themselves http://www.skype.com/intl/en-gb/allf...s/3skypephone/ Official page from 3 http://3skypephone.com/ Draft manual for the phone http://3skypephone.com/english/doc/3...user-guide.pdf All of the above is from website reports and a bit of work in google. I don't have the phone but I'd consider getting one if it works and the skypeout block is lifted.

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3 offfer free Skype on PAYG