Anyone Use Skype On A Mobile ?

[torrenova]

Trying to keep the other half's mobile costs down (impossible task I know) but Skype on a mobile would get rid of most of her call charges as I have a Skype Out subscription which allows calls to both landlines and mobiles in Thailand.

Most of the time it would be from Buriram and I guess wi-fi is out of the question so it would have to be internet based.

Don't know if you can run Skype well on 2G or not. I hear conflicting stories.

[proximity]

I tried it using a Nokia N85, fring, and Skype. When on wifi it works great. When I tried using dtac EDGE network it didn't work so well. Skype to Skype calls were mostly ok, but SkypeOut to a landline/cell phone would only connect about 50% of the time and when it did it would only work for a few minutes. Had lots of delay also.

[bubba]

I tried it using a Nokia N85, fring, and Skype. When on wifi it works great. When I tried using dtac EDGE network it didn't work so well. Skype to Skype calls were mostly ok, but SkypeOut to a landline/cell phone would only connect about 50% of the time and when it did it would only work for a few minutes. Had lots of delay also.

I'm using Skype on an iPhone and it works great on wifi as well. You need to jailbreak your iPhone to get Skype to work on EDGE (otherwise it's just wifi) and my results are mixed there. EDGE is usually fine when doing Skype to Skype or SkypeOut, but sometimes the data rate drops off and you get breakups. This is most common for me in high usage areas such as at the airport. Never had a problem with failure to connect or echo, only jittering and breakups due to slow EDGE on AIS.

But then one day....Thailand might even have fast 3G like every other country in SE Asia......

[torrenova]

So do you think the issue is that Skype needs 3G really and until that comes and where wifi is not available, it is not really practical.

[bubba]

So do you think the issue is that Skype needs 3G really and until that comes and where wifi is not available, it is not really practical.

Well not really. I use SkypeOut and Skype to Skype a lot on my iPhone using AIS EDGE, and I'd say it's good enough about 70% of the time. If the data rate gets too slow, I just switch to a regular call. That said, I think 3G would completely solve the data rate problem with VOIP.

My experience is with AIS, and I find some of my EDGE connections with them dreadfully slow. Others may be better (or even worse). And by the way, Skype calls use up a lot of data, so you won't be saving anything unless you already have an unlimited data plan (900 baht/month at AIS).

[icequeen]

Why don't you try getting her a truemove inter sim, calls to UK landlines from Thailand are only one baht per minute and you get a much better connection than with skype. They are available from most 7/11 shops.

[torrenova]

So do you think the issue is that Skype needs 3G really and until that comes and where wifi is not available, it is not really practical.

Well not really. I use SkypeOut and Skype to Skype a lot on my iPhone using AIS EDGE, and I'd say it's good enough about 70% of the time. If the data rate gets too slow, I just switch to a regular call. That said, I think 3G would completely solve the data rate problem with VOIP.

My experience is with AIS, and I find some of my EDGE connections with them dreadfully slow. Others may be better (or even worse). And by the way, Skype calls use up a lot of data, so you won't be saving anything unless you already have an unlimited data plan (900 baht/month at AIS).

You say that Skype uses up a lot of data, have you any idea just how much or how it could be monitored ?

Why don't you try getting her a truemove inter sim, calls to UK landlines from Thailand are only one baht per minute and you get a much better connection than with skype. They are available from most 7/11 shops.

We already have a Skype Out subscription which covers Thai mobiles and landlines. Thus, if she could access Skype on a mobile, she could call Thai mobiles for free. She could also call the UK for free, though in a couple of weeks, she'll have a Skype compatible DECT cordless phone for the house which will resolve all those issues at home or within 300m or so but the mobile option would be beneficial for both incoming and outgoing.

As I'm in the UK for a while I picked up a INQ Mini 3G on the 3 network. Great little thing. Skype on 24/7 and clear as a bell normally. So I can be reached on Skype on a mobile and it would be easier if she could but I don't think there is any 3G in Buriram !

[bubba]

So do you think the issue is that Skype needs 3G really and until that comes and where wifi is not available, it is not really practical.

Well not really. I use SkypeOut and Skype to Skype a lot on my iPhone using AIS EDGE, and I'd say it's good enough about 70% of the time. If the data rate gets too slow, I just switch to a regular call. That said, I think 3G would completely solve the data rate problem with VOIP.

My experience is with AIS, and I find some of my EDGE connections with them dreadfully slow. Others may be better (or even worse). And by the way, Skype calls use up a lot of data, so you won't be saving anything unless you already have an unlimited data plan (900 baht/month at AIS).

You say that Skype uses up a lot of data, have you any idea just how much or how it could be monitored ?

Why don't you try getting her a truemove inter sim, calls to UK landlines from Thailand are only one baht per minute and you get a much better connection than with skype. They are available from most 7/11 shops.

Not sure how to monitor data usage on a Nokia, but on an iPhone, you could reset your total data usage record, make a call, and then go back and see how much data it took per minute.

[torrenova]

Won't be an iphone for sure !

I was just thinking in general really. Say X per minute for voice calls.

[Crushdepth]

So do you think the issue is that Skype needs 3G really and until that comes and where wifi is not available, it is not really practical.

EDGE (2G) is fast enough for Skype, its the latency that's the problem. You get these horrendous lags in conversation then your words overlap and basically it tends to suck.

[torrenova]

To part answer my own question about data usage, I found this on the Skype website.

https://support.skype.com/en/faq/FA1527/How...n-my-mobile-use

How much data does Skype on my mobile use?

The amount of data used will vary depending on the size of your Skype contact list and your Skype activity.

Let's look at an example user (approximate usage only):

Tom has 20 Skype contacts and signs in twice a day for a total of 90 minutes. He instant messages for about 25 minutes each day and makes 20 minutes of Skype calls. Tom would use just under 1 MB of data in one month.

If you have a large number of contacts, or you IM for long periods of time, your data usage will be higher. You should check with your operator to see how much you will pay per megabyte, and we strongly recommend you sign up for an unlimited data plan with your operator.

Doesn't split out the usage very well. I've about 20 contacts, I am logged in 24/7, message infrequently and call mostly from the PC version of Skype so not so much mobile internet usage. Doesn't matter on 3 network in the UK as Skype is free (and that leads me to think that data usage is actually quite low) but in Thailand ???

Then again, giving her a plan which is not unlimited could mean she blows it all on stupid Hi5 crap and the like !