In the United States for instance, unlimited calling to the landlines and mobiles worldwide is priced at $14 a month, while unlimited calling within the United States will cost you a mere $3 a month. Although some cost more than others, paying for the premium services is typically far cheaper than purchasing a dedicated phone or texting plan on your own. Calls and messages within Skype are free, but those to landline and mobile phones will cost varying amounts depending on the region and accompanying subscription plan. The software requires no more than an internal or external camera and microphone, often built-in your computer or smartphone, and an active Internet connection. Though relatively young in the grand scheme of things, the software application is arguably the best method for users to communicate long distance, whether they are looking to conduct multi-party business meetings or merely send short, video messages between friends and family. Skype is essentially a freemium voice-over-IP service, aka a VoIP, that allows registered users to communicate online via online video calling, instant messaging, and mobile chat. Skype’s robust, merits are impressive, but the question remains: How does the damn thing work? What is it? The peer-to-peer system has been known to boast an upwards of 70 million concurrent users online during peak hours, a bar that is constantly being raised internationally, and is laden with an arsenal of ever-expanding features adopted from an emerging market of devices and increasingly-advanced software developments. The application’s foundation and initial offerings, though modest, have made it a mainstay and dominant force in the international call market share.

What began with the convergence of Estonian, Danish, and Swedish developers - most notably former Kazaa developer Niklas Zennström - has blossomed into a fruitful venture worthy of an $8.5-billion buyout from the colossal tech giant known as Microsoft.

Skype has been around for more than a decade, quietly amassing more than 700 million registered users and counting, while helping pioneer a new wave of communication in the saturated field of digital technology. If you thought Apple-equipped FaceTime was predominant force in video conferencing, think again.

Skype call costs