Skype the "champion of micro business"
Posted Mar 9th 2006 9:18AM by Ted Wallingford
Skype is aiming for small businesses. And apparently, the primary appeal of Skype in the small business
is its ability to undercut Centrex and measured rate business phone lines. But while one of the quoted consultants
refers to Skype as the "champion of microbusiness", the article is quick to point out that services like
Vonage are also much cheaper than traditional business lines, and without the questionable, secretive, and distributed
Skype network.
Take centrex service, which is aimed at companies. The service can run $50 to $60 a line each
month, far more than comparable consumer VoIP capabilities. So centrex is used in only about 10% of U.S. business
lines, says Alan Martinovich, principal at tech consultancy Adventis. While demand for this service is rising, many
businesses are looking for lower-price options, says Jon Arnold, principal at J. Arnold & Associates, a VoIP
consultancy.
And the number of low-cost small-business service packages has been limited. Vonage, the
Web-calling outfit expected to go public this year, offers two small-business plans, starting at $39.99 a month (see BW
Online, 2/9/06, "Vonage's
Iffy IPO"). Enter Skype. "Someone needs to champion the micro-business," says Klein.
