Skype and other VoIP Technologies

Presented by Kathleen RitchieCOMP 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

• Voicemail

• Instant Messaging

• Text Messages

• Calls to landlines and mobile phone

• Screen Sharing

• Send Files

• Video Conferencing

Features

Skype FactsFounded 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 ProtocolVoIP 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 WorksIt converts your analogue voice signal to a

digital one and transmits it over the internetHigh Speed internet is required! As well as,

Software such as SkypeMicrophone (sometimes camera)Or telephone with VoIP adapter

How it Works – continued

A brief video about VoIP

Consequences of VoIP - ProsThe costs to the provider and the user are significantly

less than PSTNThe 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 obsoleteIt converges voice, image and dataOffers a portable telephone number

Makes moving much easierCan be used while travelling

Consequences of VoIP - ConsThere 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 outagesThe threat of viral attacks

Such as call flooding attacksIt threatens companies that offer traditional phone

serviceIt 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 comeVoIP over mobile phone becoming increasingly

popular (both voice and video)Firmer government regulationIncreasing number of users and increasing

popularityMore competition in the VoIP market, therefore

offering consumers more choice and better ratesIncreasing business useIncreased security threats with increased useWhat are your predictions?

References About Skype (February, 2011). Skype.com. Retrieved on February 1, 2011

from http://about.skype.com/ DBJ's Most-Read Stories 2010: OoVoo vs. Skype: Tech firm gaining ground on

larger rival (February 1, 2011). Dayton Business Journal. Retrieved onFebruary 1, 2011 from http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/feature/topread-stories-2010-2.html

Rabeau, Yves (May 2005). Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP): A UniqueOpportunity for Genuine Competition in Local Telephone Service.Retrieved on January 21, 2011 fromhttp://www.videotron.com/en/pdf/etude_rabeau.pdf

Sudhir R. Ahuja, Robert Ensor (2004). VoIP: What is it good for? FromACMQueue. Retrieved on January 21, 2011 fromhttp://queue.acm.org/detail.cfm?id=1028897

Voice Over Internet Protocol (2010). Federal Commutations Commission.Retrieved on February 1st, 2011 from http://www.fcc.gov/voip/

Vonage. Retrieved on January 30, 2011 from http://www.vonage.ca/ What is Voip? (September, 2010). Retrieved on February 2, 2011 from

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsgWz_0Ul_w