Three makes it eight
I’ve been told that the number eight is considered “good luck” among the Chinese. And why not? After all, 3, the mobile operator, has announced that its X-Series mobile-broadband package has now reached Ireland. Making it country number eight where the X-Series is available. The roll-out started in the UK last December, and has since made a mark in Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Italy, Australia and Hong Kong.
To Ireland-based Skype users, this has a very real consequence. The X-Series brings unlimited free Skype-to-Skype conversations and some of life‘s other necessities to their very pockets. And that’s pretty cool.
If this all sounds like a load of mumbojumbo, here’s some more background. The X-series is a flat-rate mobile-broadband package, replicating the established “all you can eat” home broadband pricing model. X-series customers pay a monthly fee for access to a suite of internet services on their mobiles. As Skype’s nicely tucked into that suite, users make unlimited internet calls with other Skype users while on the move.
Well the promise was exciting; unfortunately the reality is rather less so. Port blocking, requiring a UK phone number to register for Orb, Real streams that break after less than 5 minutes and no SMTP have pretty much crippled this service. Given the usual quality of Skype associations I am rather surprised that they have entered into partnership with Three Ireland on this ‘service’.
For more see
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=
and
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=
Also it’s regrettable to note that usernames with undrescores are not currently supported by the Three Skype client. Nor is text. It’s Skype, but not as we know it.
We would all love SkypeOut but why would 3 do that and kill it’s voice revenue!
I have been happy with the 3 3G network and already used AuthSMTP – http://www.authsmtp.com – to get over the SMTP problems (I use multiple ISP’s) – about a £1 a month.
Can I use Skype on my phone in the UK. My mobile phone provider is vodafone.
If so please could you tell me how?