Skype Bandwidth Usage

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) allows you to make voice calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular (or analog) phone line. Some VoIP services may only allow you to call other people using the same service, but others, such as Skype, allow you to call anyone who has a telephone number - including local, long distance, mobile, and international numbers. Also, while some VoIP services only work over your computer or a special VoIP phone, other services allow you to use a traditional phone connected to a VoIP adapter.

VoIP services convert your voice into a digital signal that travels over the Internet. If you are calling a regular phone number, the signal is converted to a regular telephone signal before it reaches the destination. VoIP can allow you to make a call directly from a computer, a special VoIP phone, or a traditional phone connected to a special adapter. In addition, wireless "hot spots" in locations such as airports, parks, and cafes allow you to connect to the Internet and may enable you to use VoIP service wirelessly.

The table below shows, in hh:mm format, the amount of talk time a user can expect to get from their allocated bandwidth if all they use it for is Skype Voice over IP calls. The methodology we have used is that the average bandwidth a 2-person conversation uses is ~6KB/s both ways, which makes a total of 12KB/s. This average is derived by using the lowest observed usage (2.5KB/s) and the highest observed usage (9.5KB/s) and dividing that by 2. Conversations have troughs and peaks, the troughs being where one or both people are not saying anything, and the peaks are where one or both people are talking without interruption. Our tests consisted of playing white noise from both ends of the conversation to see what the highest usage will be, and to mute both ends of the conversation to see what the lowest usage would be. The average usage is on par with that of the average conversation, and the amounts below can be used reliably as an approximate indication of the Skype bandwidth usage one can expect in reality.