By Bruce Gain, PCWorld
Voice communications and the Internet while traveling are beset by "gotchas" road warriors looking to wade through the minefield of pricing structures for cellular carriers and service providers, Wi-Fi hotspot.
Roaming charges can be ridiculously expensive, especially when traveling abroad, and prices for the Wi-Fi at hotels, airports and other public places around the world are often very high. The fees that I ended up paying ranged from inexpensive (after spending over $ 20 for Wi-Fi access at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport) to the absurd (when Vodaphone pay me hundreds of dollars to use my Blackberry in Ireland to check email and surf the Internet intermittingly for a week).
To make matters worse, the poor customer service that you get when you call a mobile phone provider for details about roaming rates for voice and data communications are far from clear whether Verizon in the United States or Vodaphone in Europe.
A good practice is to turn off your smartphone when travelling abroad and are based on your PC for all communications, including voice connections. You can do with Skype (in France, at least, you must use your PC for Skype because mobile phones against carriers blocking Skype).
After providing cost-effective voice communications for international calls, chat and free voice and video over Internet connections between PCs for years without much hiccups, Skype has formed an agreement with the provider of Wi-Fi so you can pay with Skype credit for Internet access while on the road.
The ad may not mean much if Skype charged gouge prices for Wi-Fi hotspots, but it seems that Skype is attempting to offer an affordable alternative. Skype says prices will start at 6 cents per minute, which is very reasonable, especially in Asia and Europe. Skype has offered the service in beta form through Boingo from 2009, but now should also be able to benefit from prices more reasonable Wi-Fi connection abroad, where connectivity can command some heavy taxes (in particular taking into account the deflated dollar).
Another promising proposal that you will be able to pay for the service to Skype by the minute. This will serve as a welcome alternative to the high prices often ridiculously that commands Wi-Fi hotspots in places such as airports and hotels, where you often have to buy in increments of 30 minutes or an hour. Have a 45 minute wait at the airport of Paris? Then you have to pay for 60 minutes worth of Wi-Fi to stay connected all the time. If you pay for 30 minutes, the service off at short notice when the time has expired. Aggravating is a kind way to describe the experience.
Skype says it will offer its distribution service via Wi-Fi service providers around the world. The provider include BT Openzone, Fon, connect M3, line 44, Skyrove interactive, Tomizone, spectrum and Vex.
All told, Skype says users can access the Internet with the purchase of Skype credit to 500,000 trouble spots, including 500 000 hotels and airports, "many cafes, trains, aircraft, buildings, offices, and Convention Centers." While Skype does not listed the places where its Wi-Fi service is available, it referred to the United Kingdom and Germany in Europe, as well as South Africa and South America--in addition to United States, where Skype says that will bring her service out of beta testing.
It is not clear how ubiquitous it becomes the service Skype, but I look forward to using it is as an alternative cost-effective smartphone and roaming charges for Wi-Fi access when travelling abroad.
Bruce covers technology trends in the United States and Europe and tweets at @ brucegain.
Reprinted with permission PCWorld.com from. Story copyright 2011 PC World Communications. All rights reserved.
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