Communities Connections Communications

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Communities Connections Communications

• Look into the world of Communication 2.0 Companies

Konstantin Dragomiretskiy and Garron Ma Spring
Quarter 2007
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Communication 2.0 Companies

• Skype
• AOL Instant Messenger
• ICQ
• MSN
• Yahoo!

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ICQ

• One of founding free peer-to-peer text based chat
  communication programs. (1996)
• UIN (Universal internet Number) as screen name
  e.g. 12345678.
• Acquired by AOL in 1998
• Features include text messaging, multi-user chat,
  resume able file transfer, computer to phone chat.

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ICQ

• Voice calling
• Freedom to design preferred ICQ interface
• Fast IMing and group chatting rooms.

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AIM

• Services include multi-chat rooms, file
  transferring, and individualized customizations
  for personal preference.
• AIM express - ability to access buddy list
  account from any computer without downloading the
  actual program.
• AIM recently added voice over IP (VoIP) and video
  conferencing capabilities.
• Uses OSCAR (Open System for CommunicAtions in
  Real time) free for anyone to communicate
  instantly.

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AIM

• Mobile IMs
• PC 2 PC Chat
• Easy drag and drop picture sharing with your
  friends
• Offline IMing

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Skype

• A P2P internet telephony network that uses voice
  over IP and video communications to connect
  people all across the globe.
• Implements P2P models instead of the
  server-client models used by AIM, ICQ. They are
  the first ones to use this.
• Secure communication over video/audio chatting.

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The whole world can talk for free

• World has national boundaries, but internet has
  no boundaries. It is easier to globalize
  telecommunications via WWW.
• Skype servers communicating within the company,
  used for teleconferencing or contacting different
  departments through a computer
• Skype teamed up with Semantic to make
  communications more secure (antivirus and
  internet security)

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Business Model

• Though the P2P service is free of charge, Skype
  makes money by offering premium packages at a
  yearly rate of 30 for SkypeOut (computer to call
  phone) and 40 for SkypeIn (phone calls to your
  computer).
• They also charge using international calling
  rates as well as selling peripherals such as
  Skype telephone sets, headsets, and webcams.
• Skype makes money via services strictly. There
  are no advertisements of any sort.

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Our Business Models

• Skype becomes a mobile program portable for
  devices such as blackberries, sidekicks, palm
  pilots, and video cell phones.
• Wireless hotspots used for internet can become
  cheap areas of mobile Skype usage.

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Upcoming features

• Caller ID, block callers from anywhere
• Video conferencing via phone to computer and vice
  versa
• Wireless mobile devices that work on wireless
  networks using Skype to communicate.
• More and more competitive with current
  telecommunications companies.

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Statistics

• In 2003, 0 users, to 2007 is at 9 million on
  average at any point during the day, there are at
  least 9 million users online.
• Marginal cost is zero for each call and the cost
  of adding new users to Skype is less than 0.01.