SA calling

Talk to most people about "free" overseas phone calls and they'll automatically think of Skype. Myself included. That is until this week, when London-based Brian Kealy, a regional consumer marketing-manager for Microsoft, highlighted an alternative.

Kealy is in SA to promote Windows Live Spaces, the latest localised service to be added to Microsoft's growing collection of Web-based services. When he mentioned free, international, unlimited voice and video calls - most people in the room sat up and listened.

What was he talking about? Was it a new Microsoft Web service for making IP calls?

No, he was merely running through some of the standard features of Messenger that have been there all along. What a surprise. It was at that moment I realised that even though I was aware of this functionality, I had never really thought of Messenger in the same terms as Skype.

I wonder how many of the 270 000 Messenger users in SA actually use it to make phone calls?

Despite the fact there are few differences between the IP functionality in Messenger and Skype, for many people "Skype" has come to mean "IP telephony" in much the same way as "Google" has come to mean "search".

Returning from the daydream induced by the words: free, international, unlimited - I challenged Kealy about the lack of access to broadband in SA. He was quick to concede a broadband connection was essential to get the most out of Microsoft's Web services, Messenger included.

So much for the daydream of high-quality, unlimited, free, international calls for everyone in SA.

Warwick Ashford, portals managing editor

In the requirement for broadband, then, Skype and Messenger are equal. But what about cheaper alternatives that are faster than dial-up?

GSM connections to the Internet using Edge, 3G and HSDPA are no good with Skype. At least not with MTN the last time I checked. Any Skype connection made over MTN's GSM network is immediately spiked. What about Messenger?

There were no issues whatsoever, as far as Kealy was aware. Intrigued, I decided to give it a try. Was it possible Messenger offered a real alternative for people in SA who still do not have a broadband connection at home and have to make do with a cheaper GSM connection?

The answer is "yes".

It seems Messenger does not show up on MTN's radar in the same way as Skype does and I was able to make a successful connection to a fellow Messenger user in London. However, it was not an unqualified success. Although the quality of Messenger using an Edge GSM connection was undoubtedly better than Skype over dial-up, the reception was not constant. Dissatisfied, I wondered if a broadband connection would deliver on Microsoft's promise of high quality.

As Kealy observed, where access to broadband is limited, ways can be found. I wanted to find out what the experience would be like using an ADSL connection. So it was off to work I went, armed with all the necessary paraphernalia.

Hey presto! Having a broadband connection is the answer. A normal conversation is possible using an ADSL connection. The experience is the same as a normal international phone call.

So much for the daydream of high-quality, unlimited, free, international calls for everyone in SA. Time to get real. First, Messenger also needs a broadband connection to work properly. In this sense it is as limited as Skype. Second, SA is not one of the countries in which Messenger users can make PC-to-phone calls. PC-to-PC only, I'm afraid. Skype has the advantage in this regard.

However, despite these limitations, Messenger still deserves to be seen in the same light as Skype. In fact, it is a very good alternative, particularly if users are limited to GSM connections to the Internet. Also, Messenger offers much tighter control over who has access to users' contact details. Many would say this is an advantage over Skype.

IP telephony, however, is not the only area Microsoft is aiming to shake things up a bit. Just as Skype may not be the first or only thing most people think of when it comes to IP telephony for very much longer, Google may soon cease to be the first and last word in online search.

Microsoft says the battle for top honours in the online search arena is far from over. One innovation in particular has captured the attention of friends, family and colleagues, but more about that next week.