Hack7.Roam the World with Skype Zones

Hack 7. Roam the World with Skype Zones

Using the Skype Zones service, you can wander the globe and use Skype at any of the 18,000+ wireless hotspots available.

Works with: Windows version of Skype.

Skype has partnered with Boingo, http://www.boingo.com/, to provide Skype users with access to wireless hotspots spread around the globe. Using these hotspots, Skype users can make and receive calls, chat, send voicemail, listen to voicemailin fact, use the whole gamut of Skype services.

Currently available through two different plans, this service may prove ideal for Skype users on the move. The Skype Zones Unlimited plan has a monthly subscription of $7.95 (about 6.35) that allows for unlimited use across the whole Boingo network. The Skype Zones AsYouGo plan has a per-connection fee of $2.95 (about 2.35) that allows access from any single network location for up to two consecutive hours. Clearly, if you roam from point to point on the Boingo network, this second plan can get expensive very quickly!

Skype Zones is different from Skype's other service offerings in two respects. First, the service is priced in U.S. dollars ($) rather than euros (). Second, trying the service is not risk free in the sense that there is no full refund option should you decide that Skype Zones is not for you. However, on the plus side, there is no long-term contract commitment, and in the case of the Skype Zones Unlimited plan, you can terminate your subscription at any time by notifying Skype and Boingo at least five days before the end of your billing cycle.

You can find full terms and conditions for the Skype Zones service at http://www.skype.com/products/skypezones/. You will have to click on the "Sign up for Skype Zones now to get started" link to get to a page with the text of the terms and conditions.