In less than 10 years, Skype has become one of the most popular VOIP (voice over IP) program in the world, boasting over 700 million users and bought by Microsoft for $8.5 billion in 2010.  To me, Skype has become a substitute for a service provider like Telus.  When I first moved to Canada, my mother came along to take care of me while my dad stays in my home country Thailand to work.  In the first several years, our phone bill was enormous because of long distance calling, but this was a necessary cost to maintain the tight bond in our family.  However, when Skype came out, we no longer had to spend any money on the phone bill when calling long distance.  I am sure Skype has impacted the revenue of phone companies with so many people turning to its free communication tool.  Skype continues to update with new features, such as calling landlines using wifi.  This Summer while I was in Thailand, I actually use Skype to call people’s mobile numbers like a normal phone to save cost.  Skype is a great communication tool helping everyone in the world connects to each other.  The program is also beneficial in the business world such as when setting up a conference call with each member in different parts of the world.

Sources: http://mashable.com/2011/05/16/skype-infographic/