Skype Connect: VoIP for Business

Skype just released a new service made just for their business users. Called Skype Connect, this service allows businesses to integrate VoIP with their current PBX systems. Aside from making outgoing calls from desktop phones using Skype’s low rates, Skype Connect also allows business users to receive calls from Skype users, mobile phones, landline phones, and other phones on the corporate PBX. Skype Connect can also be configured to send calls to mobile numbers. The biggest downside of the service is that the pricing plan is a little confusing. Rather than offering payment plans with minutes or extensions, Skype Connect charges users by the minute and by “channels” – the number of concurrent calls you make or receive at once. Skype’s standard rates of 2.1 cents per minute apply for outgoing calls, but users need to pay $6.95/month for each channel. So for instance, you have five different extensions that are all being used at once, you pay $34.75.

Check out Skype Connect in action under the cut.

Find out more about Skype Connect at the Skype website.