Ring2Skype is a new start-up that allows you to have a local number (in NYC, London, Madrid, etc.), forwarded to your Skype ID, no matter wherever in the world you are and for free. Although the service is unavailable in India, however its available in Pakistan as only country from Indian sub-continent.

The service requires no credit card info and not even software download are necessary. You just need a Skype account, select the city where you want the “Online Number” (there are currently more than 100 options), and Ring2Skype sends that Online number to your email.

An online number is your own online personal telephone number people can call you on, but which you answer directly on your Skype. With an online number friends who aren’t using Skype can reach you by dialing your online number – you receive and answer the call in Skype no matter where in the world you are.

Although the service is still in beta mode, Ring2Skype works flawlessly and quite worthy service for off-shore offices, small businesses with global clients and even families with their love ones abroad.

Allthewhile, I am waiting to get the service for India as well !!

Communicating between Chinese, Spanish and English just got a whole lot easier with today’s launch of a multilingual chat service for Skype, called Moka Chat. Moka, provider of mobile language translation and communication services, today announced the release of its language translation technology for Skype, which gives Skype users the ability to chat in English, Spanish or Chinese with other Skype users.

With over 2 billion people in the world identifying English, Chinese or Spanish as their first language, Moka is providing mobile language translation and learning solutions in support of both the consumer and business markets for an increasingly borderless world. Having recently partnered with China Mobile to bring its mobile language translation service to the Chinese market, Moka is now expanding its reach across new markets and communication platforms with Moka Chat for Skype.

Using Moka Chat, English-speaking Skype users can now easily send translated text messages to Chinese or Spanish Skype buddies, enhancing their Skype experience while at the same time improving their language skills. In addition, Moka Chat for Skype enables users to send translated SMS text messages using Skype’s built-in text messaging service.

Moka Chat for Skype is now available for free during the beta period and can be downloaded from http://www.moka.com. After downloading and installing the Moka Chat for Skype application and selecting a language pair, users can easily enable real-time language translation for any text messaging conversation with anyone on their Skype buddy list. Because it allows the user to see both the original and translated text every time a message is sent, Moka Chat is also a powerful language learning tool. Moka’s learning-while-chatting feature makes language learning fun and interactive for all Skype users.

Momail, who recently launched in India in Beta mode has collaborate with JAJAH, a popular next-generation telephony solutions provider and believed to be strong contender of Skype. Momail & Skype have made collaboration to make phone calls over Internet even easier to setup. Placing calls with Momail and JAJAH saves users money both when calling long distance mobile-to-mobile and mobile-to-landline.

Using Momail to place calls via JAJAH requires no downloads or special software installations in your mobile. As Momail is the market leader in devices supported and available on more than 1100 different mobiles, this new calling option will work on most devices available on the market.

As a new JAJAH on Momail user, you will need to first register your JAJAH account (username/password) with Momail under “On Demand” on the Momail website. Once registration is completed, simply send an email to JAJAH from your Momail account on your device or jajah@momail.com (on smartphones) with the phone number to whom to call in the subject field. Seconds later you will receive a call from JAJAH saying “please hold while we connect you” and the call is automatically initiated.

About JAJAH

JAJAH, the world’s most innovative communications company, offers flexible, next-generation telephony solutions for consumers and businesses. JAJAH’s award-winning services make it easier for people to stay in touch using any device, on any network, anywhere. Leveraging a universal open telecommunications platform, JAJAH’s managed services allow mobile operators, landline carriers, cable companies, technology companies and other businesses to adopt its voice solutions with minimal investment and time to market. The leading global IP telephony company is headquartered in Mountain View, California. For more information please visit www.jajah.com.

About Momail

Momail is focused on offering a free and global e-mail service for mobile devices. Through patent pending in-house developed technology, Momail makes a reality of optimal mobile communication for all mobile devices. Via a growing network of partners offering mobile services based on Momail’s products and technology, Momail’s vision is for mobile email communication to be synonymous with – Momail. To learn more visit www.momail.com.

Mikogo a free screen sharing tool has now partnered with Skype to provide a perfect free solution to web conferencing. With Mikogo, now one can incorporate free screen sharing within a Skype conference call which makes Mikogo + Skype as complete tool that has – Internet calls, screen sharing, instant chat, and video without any cost.

Mikogo available as a Skpe Extra (i.e. plug-ins for Skyoe) where users can have free screen sharing and phone calls together for no cost. With Mikogo Skype Extra one can invite up to 10 participants to any Mikogo screen sharing session directly from your Skype installed in their systems.

The tool within Skype provides users an access to high quality screen sharing in real time and in true color quality.

The Mikogo and Skype partnership is a good deal towards conferencing solution for SMEs (Small & Medium Entrepreneurs) along with individual who cannot afford additional cost and overhead of paying charges towards web conferencing plus screen sharing.

Get Mokogo Skype Extra here.

Question - With Free Internet Telephony just come up in India some of you could thought that, you were already making calls over the internet, than what’s this Free Internet Telephony meant for?

Answer - That works only over net-enabled PCs. You couldn’t terminate internet telephony calls on fixed and mobile networks and vice-versa. Now TRAI newest recommendation has now made it possible to do so.

TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) has broken the ice finally after all that scrutiny over illegal Internet telephony in India in last year’s October when big names such as Skype, Google, Net2Phone has to go under scrutiny and alleged of 10 million minutes of illegal net telephony without any license.

On 12th of May TRAI released a 12 questions consultation paper on “Issues related to Internet Telephony”, which needs to replied by the stake holders, example of various countries and background of Internet Telephony in India. The question relates to whether ISPs should be permitted net Telephony services to land-line phones within India, what would be implication and Interconnections between computers and land-line/ mobile phones.

On Aug 18 TRAI come with detail recommendation i.e. conclusion to permit Internet telephony to ISPs with permission to provide Internet telephony calls to PSTN/PLMN and vice-versa within country along with necessary amendments made in the license provisions.

TRAI in its recommendation interprets to provide end-users in country the innovative and cost effective services. Due importance have been given to level playing filed among various service providers, Interconnection mechanism, Interconnect usage charges (IUC), Numbering, Lawful interception, Emergency number dialing, Interoperability, Quality of Service etc.

Now calling relatives/ friends abroad will be just for Re 1 to 2 per minute, a sharp drop from the present average of Rs 7/minute. National long distance rates could drop to 30-50 paise per minute, against Rs 1-2 at present. And local calls could be virtually free, at just about 30 paise per minute, against today’s Re 1.

Major Internet Telephony/ VoIP Resources in India

Yahoo Voice, Net2Phone, Packet8, Go2Call, Lingo and will look forward to see more such products and services in India after such new major recommendation for Internet Telephony and VoIP phenomena in India and noticeably Skype reaction towards this.

Ebay owned company Skype has Lauched its most anticipated product Skype Phone – an Internet voice mobile phone to make free calls. The phone is being manufactured by Chinese company Amoi and partnered with Hutchison’s 3 unit.

One can use it like an ordinary mobile Phone and can also make free calls although to Skype-to-Skype calls only and send instant messages as well. Skype-phone user has to top-up (recharge what we call in India) after every 30 days.

Hutchisson’s ‘3′ unit operates mobile phone networks in Austria, Australia, Denmark, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, and the U.K., although Hutch, the market of whom is now acquired by Vodafone in India, the launch of Skype-Phone in India cant be figure out as when would Skype see India as one of the market of their latest released product.

The recent scrutiny faced by Skype in India over free Internet PC-o-PC call service might have something to do with India not being considered as one of their Skype-phone market along with norms and policies for same in India, which still in infancy stage for such products and services.

The launch of Skype-Phone is seen as a launch closer to Google’s much more anticipated GPhone, which every now and then is being rumored to launch in a week or two but still Gphone is expected to launch worldwide by the end of November.

Skype which is being acquired by Ebay has launched this product to increase their revenue, which is said to be over-priced when got acquired.

PC to PC telephony is one such service that every big companies are providing it for free to its customers and companies such as Skype, Yahoo, Google, MSN and Net2Phone.com are prominent ones in India with its net telephony services, all you need is PC, headphones with mic and software (online or downloadable such as Skype).

Internet Service Providers Associations of India (ISPAI) are alleging that internet companies mentioned above are eating market share of Indian companies and thats too illegaly i.e. without any licensed net telephony services. ISPs also allege that voice chat through Google, MSN and Yahoo is resulting in revenue leak for the government.

Internet telephony, estimated at 200 million minutes a month in which use of illegal net telephony without valid license is estimated at 10 million minutes a month.

ISPAI had alleged that an ISP licence or a unified access services licence (UASL) is required to provide Internet telephony, which these companies do not possess.

However, MSN and Yahoo denies such claims by putting a point that they offer free service so levying a service tax through licencing is not an issue anymore.

In India, companies like Skype, Vonage, Packet 8, Go2call, Lingo, Impetus, Dialpad and Net2Phone have been offering unlicenced net telephony services, which is mostly illegal. If they don’t opt for a licence the government should block them,” said ISPAI president Rajesh Chharia.

The director general, Central Excise Intelligence, has written to ISPAI, directing it to furnish the local addresses and overseas offices of firms provinding Internet telephony service, with details of revenues and major service receivers.

References – ISPAI.in