Any Thailand-Based, Skype-Like Calling Service?

[pjbradley]

Given the limited international bandwidth and the often-sluggish access to overseas-based servers, I'm wondering if anyone offers a Skype-like communication service with servers in Thailand to make it easier to converse among people who are all in Thailand.

Recently I tried to chat with someone on Skype, and we had to switch off the video to make it work. I assume we were both accessing a Skype server in Belgium, Ireland, or elsewhere in Europe, even though we're both in Bangkok.

From what I gather, domestic bandwidth speeds are supposed to be much better than going through the international chokehold.

Is anyone aware of any domestic-server-based communication vendors?

[jybkk]

Once the communication is established on Skype, it is peer-to-peer between you and your correspondent. There's no routing through Skype servers, so the sluggishness for calls within Thailand is not related with the bad quality of international links.

My guess is that the thai ISPs have QoS tools that limit the bandwidth used for Video Calls on their networks.

[w11guy]

I've always been able to use Skype in Thailand for both video and voice communication in USA and UK.

[surayu]

Skype always had loads of problems, but since Microsoft bought them it has become unusable, for both connecting from Thailand to Europe or even between 2 households in the same EU city, this is what i can report from my own experience, using the free service and not the paid one.

I found a "fix" starting using a (free)program called TeamViewer which give you an option to have a conversation with the other part and it's been great!

[craigt3365]

Most of my problems with Skype were due to poor bandwidth. Back home, video skype is great. Here, not so great. But then I know my connection is not always good. I've used skype all over the world and it's OK....again depending on bandwidth.

[pjbradley]

Once the communication is established on Skype, it is peer-to-peer between you and your correspondent. There's no routing through Skype servers, so the sluggishness for calls within Thailand is not related with the bad quality of international links.

My guess is that the thai ISPs have QoS tools that limit the bandwidth used for Video Calls on their networks.

Thanks for the information about Skype being peer-to-peer. As other people noted here, it might be the local ISPs making things slower, though in general I've had much better connections with Apple FaceTIme and even the older iChat when compared with Skype, and Skype was always better than Yahoo's Messenger service (though I haven't used its video chat service in at least a few years).

[jybkk]

Skype always had loads of problems, but since Microsoft bought them it has become unusable, for both connecting from Thailand to Europe or even between 2 households in the same EU city, this is what i can report from my own experience, using the free service and not the paid one.

I found a "fix" starting using a (free)program called TeamViewer which give you an option to have a conversation with the other part and it's been great!

As far as I know, there hasn't been anything ore than a financial contract here. Microsoft hasn't yet been involved with anything regarding Skype services and technology (yet).

As I said earlier, chances are the ISPs are targeting Skype data and capping it (after all, many of those ISPs are also phone providers). Your "fix" with teamviewer probably works because it is not yet worth for your ISP to cap it.

[lomatopo]

Depending on the exact application there may be any number of solutions. With Android, or even iPhone, you have Skype, Line, Viber and probably more?

For free VoIP to/from the U.S. you have GrooVe IP in conjunction with Google Voice, among several offers.

I think it is important to define the end-points, location, type of network connectivity and budget, then different solutions may be possible?

If you are just looking to minimize voice calling costs to one person some mobile service providers here offer extremely low cost mobile-mobile communications via "special number" or buffet subscription service.

[Darrel]

I think it is important to define the end-points, location, type of network connectivity and budget, then different solutions may be possible?

Indeed. I have various SIP/VOIP accounts and also use Skype for voice communications on occasions, and the effectiveness of all of them depends largely on the geographical location I am trying to talk to and the time of day, and this seems greatly dependent on the frequently crappy routing that CAT gets from Singapore to parts of Europe. For example, I often have much better call quality when using a European VOIP server to talk to UK numbers than when using a UK VOIP server to talk to the same UK numbers.

Generally I find Skype voice calls to be good quality here, but of course to use Skype with phone numbers you have to pay. My UK DID is free and my European one is very cheap.

[lomatopo]

I think it is important to define the end-points, location, type of network connectivity and budget, then different solutions may be possible?

Indeed. I have various SIP/VOIP accounts and also use Skype for voice communications on occasions, and the effectiveness of all of them depends largely on the geographical location I am trying to talk to and the time of day, and this seems greatly dependent on the frequently crappy routing that CAT gets from Singapore to parts of Europe. For example, I often have much better call quality when using a European VOIP server to talk to UK numbers than when using a UK VOIP server to talk to the same UK numbers.

Generally I find Skype voice calls to be good quality here, but of course to use Skype with phone numbers you have to pay. My UK DID is free and my European one is very cheap.

I inferred the OP was strictly interested in inexpensive voice options for intra-Thailand communications?

[surayu]

Microsoft hasn't yet been involved with anything regarding Skype services and technology (yet).

Are you in the Skype control's room right now? how can you be so sure that the new owner of Skype (MIcrosoft) it's not doing some kind of trimming around? Normally a provider of a service doing things not so nice to their customers doesn't really want you to find out, you know?

Might well depends from something else too, but there are many coincidences....

[Darrel]

I inferred the OP was strictly interested in inexpensive voice options for intra-Thailand communications?

Sure. I was just making a general comment. One of my European DIDs is on a package that includes largely unlimited calls to Thailand (with a couple of odd rules that dont affect me) for the equivalent of 50B/month. Seems to work well enough on the rare occasions that I have tried it.

[kkerry]

I found video calls world wide improved when I upgraded to an internet connection with a 1MB upload. I often talk to people in the US, UK and Australia from Thailand and surprisingly even in a group chat my Thai connection is the least likely to drop the call, and I use a HD webcam. Non video Skype calls to Thailand mobiles for me have always been patchy and are usually more expensive than using a pre-paid account. Peer to peer calls can depend on how good an internet connection the party you are talking has and not everyone you call in Thailand is going to have a great internet connection.

Edited May 6, 2012 by kkerry