BTC has more telecommunications competition :taped:

A service which mimics internet file-sharing networks to enable desktop computers to call conventional telephones was launched on Tuesday. The new approach could have a massive impact on global telecommunications, experts warn.

Skype, based in Luxembourg, has released the latest version of its desktop telephony software, Skype 1.0. This harnesses a decentralised network of individual PCs lashed together over the internet to make calls. And a new feature called SkypeOut allows users to communicate with regular landline and mobile phones for the first time.

The service uses an existing technology called Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). This allows people to speak over the internet by taking voice information, chopping it into packets of data for transmission, and then decoding it into audio at the receiving end.

But existing VoIP services require some sort of central server and, often, additional hardware. By contrast, Skype's is built entirely from software and uses a decentralised network - comprised of all the PCs running the software - to route calls, making the service cheaper to operate and easier to scale up.

The "peer-to-peer" approach used by Skype first found widespread popularity through file sharing networks such as Napster. Skype was founded by the creators of another popular file-sharing network, KaZaA. Some experts say Skype's approach has the potential to change the telecommunications landscape.

Continued at http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996215