Fring, Skype and Call Costs

Gary Eckstein General Technology 2 , , , , , , , , ,

Fring is awesome. Skype is splendid. The mix of the two is a match made in heaven. So why this article?

Well, there seems to be a lot of confusion as to what it costs to make calls with Fring. This post therefore attempts to make it more clear as to what costs are incurred with making calls with Fring via Skype.

First some background:

What is Fring?

Fring is a voice over IP (VOIP) service used on mobile phones. All that is required is to signup with Fring and install free software on your mobile phone. Fring is compatible with most mobile/cell and smartphones including Apple iPhone, most Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Samsung, LG phones and other phones (unfortunately Fring cannot be used on Blackberry). Once installed it is possible to make calls to all countries and types of phones (i.e. landline/PSTN, Mobile and VOIP) as well as interact in other ways with social networks; as stated on the Fring website (highlights added by me):

‘Using your handset’s internet connection, you can interact with friends on all your favourite social networks including Skype®, MSN Messenger®, Google Talk™, ICQ, SIP, Twitter, Yahoo!™ and AIM®. You can listen to music with your Last.fm friends, check out what each other are up to on Facebook, receive alerts of new Google Mail™ and tailor make your very own fring by adding more cool experiences from fringAdd-ons™.’

What is Skype?

Skype is basically a means of making calls via the Internet (i.e. VOIP). Hundreds of millions of people use Skype (including me) for good reason; it is very cost effective and the quality of calls is great (those with slow Internet connections may find that the quality of Skype calls suffers). Skype may be used on all sorts of Internet connected devices however is most typically installed on a computer from where calls are made. All that is needed to use Skype is to install the software and signup. Skype to Skype calls are free however calls to PSTN/landline and mobile telephones are charged (however at usually very favourable rates).

How do Fring and Skype work Together

Assuming that you have set up Fring on your mobile phone and have configured it for Skype use then this is simplistically how Fring and Skype work together when a call is made from Fring on a mobile phone:

What Fring with Skype Costs

  • Fring itself is free to install and use.
  • Fring uses data bandwidth therefore there may be data costs billed from your mobile phone provider (depending on your data usage and mobile phone plan).
  • There is no charge by Skype for Skype to Skype calls.
  • There is a charge for Skype to landline or mobile phone calls.

Most other VOIP services available via Fring work in much the same way as does Skype.

Fring/Skype Conclusion

Although there is a lot of confusion as to what it really does cost to use Fring, it is generally far less expensive to call via Fring with Skype than to call mobile and landline phones directly from a mobile phone. Fring is good, Skype is good and there is every reason to use these two fantastic services.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]