Skype is the best VOIP service in the world without argument. No matter how many services came in to competition, nothing was nearly as good as Skype. It’s giving you facilities beyond VOIP such as video conferencing, files sharing and multiplayer games as well.

When you are using your mobile phone, sometimes it’s very difficult to use Skype with unreliable 3G networks. Worst part is most of the time 3G networks are unreliable due to various reasons such as weather and signal corridors. In such a case how can you use Skype?

No matter how unstable the 3G data networks are, still 2G networks working just fine and serves its limited functionalities which are voice calls and SMS. When your 3G network is not so strong, what if you can utilize reliable 2G network to use Skype, or at least part of it? It will be great right?

Fortunately, there is a way and Three offer this service in many countries. Since it’s using 2G network infrastructure it’s fast, reliable and less costly than 3G data caps as well.

How Skype Work in 3G Network?

• You sign in to Skype and Skype server update your online statues to your contacts.
• You start dialing to one of your friends.
• Skype server gives your IP address to your contact and his IP to you.
• Now you both create peer to peer data connection
• Your computer or mobile phone directly stream digital media to your contact through above connection.
• Skype server overlook the communication process and manage connections.

How Skype Work in 2G Network?

• You sign in to Skype and Skype server update your online statues to your contacts.
• You start dialing to one of your friend.
• Skype server gives your IP address to your contact and his IP to you.
• In order to complete above steps still you need active internet connection. But for that conventional GPRS would be enough.
• Here comes the Magic, you don’t create direct peer to peer connection to your Skype friend.
• Instead you make a voice call to special number provided by your mobile service provider.
• This step is transparent to you since Skype application is doing this behind the screen.
• Your service provider streams your voice to your Skype friend using their internet connection.
• Incoming voice data also comes to your mobile service provider.
• He sends it to you as a voice call.

In this process you are not actually using 3G network to send your voice to your Skype friend. Instead you are using 2G network and plain old voice call, your mobile service provider take care of the rest of stuff.

Who Provide This Service?

Three is the one who providing this special Skype service all over the world.  They call it Skype-on-Three. There you have to install a special Skype application for your mobile phone and then you can make Skype calls without spending your data cap via 2G network.

Read more on Skype Official Website and Three Official Website.

When you picture this system, you will be able to figure out this works only for voice calls since 2G voice calls can’t carry any more complex data such as video or files. So if you want to make video call or file transfer, you will have to go the normal way and get it done through your 3G connection.

If you are already using this connection you must be having firsthand experience about this. Drop a comment and share those with Notes Of Genius community.

Tags: #VOIP