LUXEMBOURG-Internet telephony provider Skype expanded its premium offerings, launching voicemail and phone access services Friday for users in eight countries including the United States.
The Voice over Internet Protocol company unveiled SkypeIn, which allows users traveling worldwide to receive inbound calls to their Skype client from fixed and mobile phones without incurring roaming charges. With the service, subscribers can choose up to three conventional telephone numbers from their home countries that will allow them to be reached by any phone.
The company also introduced a service enabling customers to receive voicemail up to 10 minutes long from users with traditional phones.
The voicemail is offered at $7 for three months or $19 for a year; SkypeIn subscriptions sell for $13 for three months and $39 for a year. Skype, which provides software allowing users to make free phone calls over the Internet, offered its first premium service in August 2004 that allows users around the world to make calls to regular phones at local rates.
“With Skype’s new premium offerings, travelers will now be able to save thousands of dollars on roaming charges,” said Niklas Zennstrom, Skype’s chief executive officer and co-founder.
