Microsoft has also been a member of the eavesdropping gang – report
Microsoft contractors have been listening to Skype and Cortana conversations without the full knowledge and consent of the apps’ users, claims a report.
Telecoms.com
Skype
Watershed moment: should mobile operators be worried we talk less?
A new report from Ofcom claims users in the UK spoke 2.5 billion minutes less on their mobile phones, down by 1.7% in 2017, the first such decline in history.
Microsoft latest to imitate Snapchat with Skype facelift
We’ve often said we’re not too sure what the point of Snapchat is, maybe we’re too old, but they must be doing something right as Microsoft has become the latest tech giant to introduce copycat features.
Ericsson targets non-smartphone devices for wifi calling
Operators will soon be given the opportunity to bring calling capabilities to wifi-only devices, should Ericsson’s latest announcement take off.
Skype makes group video calling free
OTT communications provider Skype, a subsidiary of Microsoft, has announced that it will make its group video calling service available to all users, free of charge.
African LTE operator “could happily prioritise Skype traffic”
A greenfield LTE operator that has launched this year in Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda would “happily prioritise Skype traffic” at the expense of standards-based voice services if that is what the market demanded, its chief operating officer has told Telecoms.com.
Skype costing mobile operators $100m per day
Over the top (OTT) communications service Skype is estimated to be costing the telecoms industry $100m per day, or $36.5bn per year, due to the amount of data traffic the application generates. According to research published this week, Skype’s 280 million active users spend two billion minutes per day on Skype.
Operators losing faith in Joyn
Three out of ten mobile operators believe GSMA offering Joyn is not the solution to successfully compete with messaging service providers such as WhatsApp and Skype, according to research published today.
OTT mobile VoIP subscribers near 1 billion
The number of global OTT mobile VoIP subscribers increased more than 550 per cent during 2012 to reach over 640 million, and is expected to approach the 1 billion mark in 2013, according to Infonetics Research.
France pressures Skype to register as operator
French communications regulator ARCEP was gunning for internet telephony player Skype this week, which it suggests is committing a criminal offence by not declaring itself as a communications operator.
Microsoft absorbs Messenger into Skype
In a somewhat inevitable move by the software firm, Microsoft has absorbed its Live Messenger service into Skype, after acquiring the VoIP service in May last year. The firm released Skype 6.0 for Mac and Windows a few weeks ago and has now told customers to update to the service to send instant messages and make video calls with their Messenger contacts.
Skype launches wifi proposition
VoIP provider Skype has set up a public wifi network in the UK and Ireland in a bid to diversify its offering. The firm, acquired by Microsoft in 2011, has teamed up with wifi solutions provider Wicoms to roll out a service called Free Skype WiFi in UK high streets. The service enables shopping malls, retailers and other businesses to deliver public internet access to customers free of charge.
Free data service aims to disrupt US mobile market
A US start-up is aiming to disrupt the wireless broadband market with its commitment to deliver free 4G services to its users. FreedomPop has launched the beta version of its service and will be offering 500MB of free data usage to each of its customers using US wholesale operator Clearwire’s WiMAX network.
Skype intros carrier billing
Internet telephony darling and over-the-top success, Skype, stepped up its threat to operators with the introduction of direct operator billing this week.
Swedish operators attempting to ban Skype, claims local press
Swedish operators attempting to ban Skype, claims local press
Skype picks up GroupMe
Internet telephony player Skype, recently acquired by Microsoft, is doing some shopping of its own, entering into an agreement to acquire mobile group messaging provider GroupMe. Founded in 2010 in New York, GroupMe allows users to group text, conference call, and share pictures and location data.
Facebook and Skype announce video sharing partnership
Social networking giant Facebook and video chat leader Skype have announced a video sharing partnership enabling Facebook users to place Skype directly to any of their Facebook ‘Friends’ without having to leave the website.
Skype introduces cross-platform video calling
Skype has upped its game in the mobile market, with the announcement of a “killer ability” that has long been waited for: cross platform video calling.
Users of Skype’s Android app will finally be able to make video calls, not only to other Android users but also to iPhones, laptops and PCs from their smartphones.
Microsoft granted patent to ‘silently record’ web-based voice and video comms
Microsoft has been granted a patent for a technology that will allow it to listen in on web-based communications such as video and voice calls – including those made on its recently acquired Skype service.
Microsoft’s Skype deal gets the go-ahead
Microsoft’s bid for Skype has received the go-ahead from American anti-trust regulators, following an “early termination” of a review into the proposed sale. Under America’s Hart-Scott-Rodinho (HSR) Act, certain types of large mergers and acquisitions deals must be submitted for review by the government.
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