Skype has been available for Android for quite sometime. But users in United States were not allowed to make calls over 3G data network, however other countries didn’t have this restriction.
Following today’s update that is changing. Now calls over data (3G/4G) are allowed globally, even US.
What that means to you?
Well, I guess I shouldn’t be telling you that. In case you don’t know, Skype provides unlimited US and Canada calls with a subscription. And calls to other Skype users globally are always FREE.
The subscription is very reasonable too, just $2.99 per month.
So think about reducing your AT&T anytime minutes to a minimum plan and use Skype for all your calls as long as you are within your data usage. When you are in a wifi zone, you don’t have to even worry about that.
Below is a small guesstimate of what you should be paying with a minimum AT&T plan along with Skype subscription -
Individual:
Min Individul Voice Plan ($39.99) + Data Plan 2GB ($25) + Skype ($2.99) + Tax = Total $67.98 – Any Discount + Tax = ~$65 (incl. Tax & Disc.)
(Instead of $69.99 (Unlimited) + $25 – Discount + Tax) which is a saving of around $25 per month. That counts for a total saving of $600 for a 2Yr contract and pretty much pays for your smartphone cost and even more. Even if you don’t have the unlimited plan right now, you may still be saving $10-$15 per month.
Family plan:
Min Family Voice Plan ($59.99) + 2* Data Plan 2GB ($25) + Skype ($2.99) + Tax = Total $87.98 – Any Discount + Tax = ~ 95 (incl Tax & Disc.)
(Instead of $119.99 (Unlimited) + 2* $25 – Discount + Tax) which is a saving of more than $50 per month. That counts for a total saving of $1200 for a 2 Yr. contract on two lines and again pretty much pays for both smartphone cost and even more. Even if you don’t have the unlimited family plan now, we are still talking about at least $25-$30 per month.
So if you are thinking like me, it is a big saving you would be doing just by using a combination of above mentioned plan and Skype subscription. I may sound like a Skype sales man, but think about it. And once you have given a thought, remember that this saving was one of the reason all the service providers didn’t want to allow VOIP over 3G data networks. Well, at least you got the idea. Go ahead install or update Skype for Android and start saving money.
Motorola Atrix users like myself shouldn’t get too excited about this, because the phone itself has issues with VOIP apps. The other party always hears noise and only noise. So you won’t be able to use this feature until Motorola fixes the issue.
Hey Motorola! I need a fix for VOIP problems on my new Atrix like RIGHT NOW. It sucks when ppl calls me on Skype and it sounds crappy.less than a minute ago via Twitter for Android 
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Anurag Bansal
knowliz
