Skype

Skype is a communications service for internet voice and video calls, messaging, and file sharing. Launched in 2003, it was acquired by Microsoft in 2011.

Voice over Internet Protocol: Voice over Internet Protocol carries voice calls over packet-switched networks such as the internet. Skype uses internet protocols to carry voice instead of relying solely on conventional telephone circuits.
Niklas Zennström: Niklas Zennström is a Swedish entrepreneur who co-founded Skype and Kazaa. He co-founded Skype and helped shape its early business strategy.
Video telephony: Video telephony is real-time communication that transmits live video and audio between distant participants. Skype made video calls a familiar internet communication option for households and workplaces.
Skype effect: The Skype effect is the reduction in international calling costs and barriers associated with internet communications. Skype’s low-cost calls helped make long-distance voice communication routine.
Peer-to-peer: Peer-to-peer networking distributes communication directly among participating devices rather than routing everything through central servers. Skype initially used a peer-to-peer architecture to relay calls and help users connect.
Janus Friis: Janus Friis is a Danish entrepreneur who co-founded Skype and Kazaa. He co-founded Skype with Zennström and was involved in its early development.
Instant messaging: Instant messaging is the exchange of text messages over a network in near real time. Skype accounts supported text conversations alongside voice and video calls.
Internet telephony: Internet telephony is the use of internet networks to provide voice communication services. Skype became one of the best-known consumer examples of internet telephony.
Session Initiation Protocol: Session Initiation Protocol is a signaling protocol for establishing, managing, and ending real-time multimedia sessions. SIP provides a standard comparison for how internet services set up calls.
Kazaa: Kazaa was a peer-to-peer file-sharing application launched in 2001. Skype’s founders had built Kazaa, whose distributed-network ideas informed their next venture.

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VideotelephonyRelated: Its consumer service helped make internet videotelephony commonplace.