Skype Pro bundle goes live; early-bird €5 credit with purchase
I talked with Stefan Öberg yesterday about today's Skype Pro launch. The call reminded me that, despite the 500 million downloads that brought Skype to where it is today, downloading is weird. Using a phone, something with buttons you hold to your ear and mouth, is our mainstream human behavior. It's not enough to succeed at getting people to download Skype.
The sweet spot Skype occupies is being nibbled at from three sides.
First are those who are building live communication into the web. No client to download, just flash, a browser, a headset and a webcam.
Second are those who are turning VoIM (voice over instant messaging) into a feature of other software. VoIM is being built into virtual worlds, customer service systems, Internet television networks, and eBay seller tools.
Third are the gadgets. Mobile phones, hybrid phones, desk stations, cuddly toys. Generations are conditioned by thousands of calls to hold something to the sides of their faces for telephony. Gear that's directly attached to the Internet without a PC lets people get some of the benefit of VoIM without bothering to change their behavior.
Skype Pro will help Skype with the gadget crowd. The pricing plan is much closer to the all-you-can-eat plans associated with landlines. So Skype Pro and a phone with embedded Skype will be easier to buy, to set up, try, and adopt.
Key points of today's announcements:
Where:
- Today's launch in Western Europe.
- Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK
- European countries not covered:
- Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Vatican City.
- Next countries to get Pro:
- Australia, New Zealand.
- General requirements for a country to get Skype Pro:
- Skype must be able to add value to the bundle with SkypeIn or a hardware bundle.
I find it ironic that Luxembourg, Skype's country of incorporation, isn't on the list.
- Zero cents per minute calling to domestic landlines within your home country, previously €1 per hour
- Free Skype Voicemail, normally €15 per year
- Discounts:
- €30 discount on SkypeIn numbers
- A €30 discount on a Philips VoIP 841 cordless phone.
- A €10 discount on an SMC WiFi phone.
- Additional discounts on a series of Skype Extras are also available including desktop sharing, avatars, emoticons and ring tones
source: Skype news release
Selected Skype Pro features
Money:
- €2 per month.
- Early Bird offers. Put €10 into your Pro service (five months' worth) and Skype will add €5 to your Skype account. Early Bird offer should last a few months.
- Landlines only. The free calling is only free to landlines in the country where you're making the call. So "does not include calls to any mobile, premium, special or other types of non-geographic numbers"
- VAT. Local Value Added Taxes of 15% may apply.
- Connection Fee. All Pro calls charged $0.039 per call.
Stefan says Skype's stats show most SkypeOut calls run 20 to 30 minutes, so the connection fee shouldn't affect most users.
While the return on voice mail might justify the service, all the exclusions means Skypers must still know what kind of line they are calling.
With so many people using mobiles as their primary numbers, I'm not sure this will save you much on SkypeOut service.
Marketing:
- Upsell Positioning: Skype Pro isn't viral like Skype basic; it is an upsell conversion. So Pro will bundle enough goodies to make it attractive. For the price of voicemail, you'll also get free landline calls.
- Now:
- Early bird offer (sign up, get €5 extra credit)
- Skype.com messaging
- Upsell messages in the client's live tab
- Skype.com in the payment flow and account pages
- PR
- Soon:
- Promoted through affiliate networks and banner ads
- Pro bundled with hardware
See also:
- Two hours a month pays back the new Skype Pro calling plans
- VoipBuster smacks down new Skype pricing
Full release below:
MEDIA CONTACT:
Imogen Bailey
imogen.bailey@skype.net
SkypeIn: + 44 207 193 8038
SKYPE LAUNCHES SKYPE PRO IN EUROPE
Subscription Package Combines Most Popular Features for Just €2* per month
LUXEMBOURG, February 20th, 2007 - Skype™, the global Internet communications company, today announced the launch of Skype Pro. Skype Pro is a new Internet communications package offering zero cents per minute calls to domestic landlines along with a series of premium Skype features and discounts on Skype Certified™ hardware.
Skype's popular features such as video calls from one Skype user to another, sending instant messages, transferring files, conference calls for up to 10 participants or joining in Skypecasts (live moderated conversations with up to 100 people) remain free to all Skype users across the world. Skype users can also use Skype to make free calls from one Skype account to another.
"With Skype Pro, we're making it easier for our 171m registered users to buy our paid for communications products. Skype Pro lets you call landlines and mobiles all over the world for exceptional value. The combination of Skype's free features with Skype Pro is very compelling. Along with zero per minute calling, Skype Pro includes free voicemail, a generous discount on SkypeIn numbers, attractively priced Skype devices plus five euros of SkypeOut™ credit when you sign up for five months. Skype Pro is a simple and cost-effective way for people to keep in touch with one another the world over," said Stefan Oberg, VP & GM of Telecoms at Skype.
From today, people can choose to pay a low monthly subscription of €2* and make zero cents per minute calls to domestic landlines in 15 countries in Europe. Skype Pro subscribers will also receive discounts on Skype Certified devices and accessories. Skype Pro's subscription package includes:
- Zero cents per minute calling to domestic landlines in [country] previously €0.017* per minute
- Free Skype Voicemail (normally €15* per year)
- €30 discount on SkypeIn™ numbers
- €5 Skype Credit included as part of the introductory offer (see below)
- A €30 discount on a Philips VoIP 841 cordless phone.
- A €10 discount on an SMC WiFi phone.
- Additional discounts on a series of Skype Extras are also available including desktop sharing, avatars, emoticons and ring tones
* 15% VAT is added where applicable and all Skype Pro calls are subject to a small connection fee of up to € 0.039 per call.
For a limited time only, you can purchase Skype Pro on a five month basis for €10 and receive €5 Skype credit absolutely free. After this introductory period, customers can continue with their subscriptions for just €2* a month.
Skype Pro will initially be available across Europe in the following countries:
- Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK
Skype Pro will be rolled out to Australia and New Zealand shortly and then to other countries worldwide later in 2007.
The European Interactive Advertising Association's (EIAA) 2006 Mediascope Europe Study has found that 45% of Internet users in Europe now go online every day of the week, which demonstrates the increasing importance of the Internet in our everyday lives and its growing role as an engagement medium among European consumers.
The average European Internet user now spends 11 hours 20 minutes a week online compared to 10 hours and 15 minutes a week in 2005, an increase of 11%. With this increase, the average European is now online 5.4 days a week. The study also demonstrates that 15% conduct calls via the Internet - a growth rate of 50% from last year.
As the world's largest Internet communications community, Skype is committed to giving its users the ability to set their conversations free at home, at work and on the move. It is focused on further developing its ecosystem of more than 50 hardware partners and more than 160 Skype Certified devices to broaden the appeal of Skype to a wider base of users who want to use Skype away from the PC, no matter where they happen to be. This is especially true for Skype users who want to take advantage of the mobile Skype experience, which is already accessible to more than 5 million Skype users on over 120 different Windows Mobile Smartphones and pocket PC devices.
For more information about Skype Pro, please go to http://www.skype.com/products/skypepro/
Footnote:
** All SkypeOut calls, including calls made by Skype Pro subscribers, are subject to a connection fee. For details on the connection fee, go to http://www.skype.com/products/skypeout/rates/connection_fee.html.
** Skype Pro is reserved for residents within [Country] making calls to landline telephones within [Country] and does not include calls to any mobile, premium, special or other types of non-geographic numbers.
About Skype
Skype is the world's fastest-growing Internet communication offering, allowing unlimited free voice, video and instant messaging communication between users of Skype Software. With over 171 million registered users, Skype is available in 28 languages and is used in almost every country around the world. Skype generates revenue through its premium offerings such as making and receiving calls to and from landline and mobile phones, voicemail, call forwarding and personalization including ringtones and avatars. Skype also has relationships with a growing network of hardware and software providers. Visit Skype at www.skype.com.
Skype is an eBay company (NASDAQ: EBAY). To learn more visit skype.com.
Access to a broadband Internet connection is required for Skype and all Skype Certified devices and accessories. Skype is not a replacement for your traditional telephone service and cannot be used for emergency calling.
Skype, SkypeIn, SkypeOut, Skype Me, Skype Certified, Skypecasts, associated logos and the "S" symbol are trademarks of Skype Limited.
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Comments
Why doesn't Skype quit monkeying around with what is essentially a free service and launch an advertising model with Google? They would make a killing.
Posted by: Rick | February 20, 2007 08:44 PM
will it come free skype pro to download I
hope it does soon
Posted by: Alan Gray | July 26, 2007 03:38 PM