While people scorn the idea of using Skype to have a crystal clear conversation it cannot be denied that the application from Microsoft is one of the most popular VOIP services in the world. Yes, there are the likes of Google Duo, Hangouts or WhatsApp Calling, but Skype’s success in emerging markets is nearly unparalleled. It has done so well in India that Microsoft has designed Skype Lite specifically for that region.
“Our goal is to help everyone experience the best that Skype has to offer, wherever they are in the world. From listening to Skype users in India, we felt we could design a more tailored product for the India market, one which would benefit users as well as the different network infrastructure across the country.”
The new app was revealed at Microsoft’s Future Decoded event and is currently only available on Android. Skype Lite uses less data to send and receive messages, or when making and receiving voice or video calls, which saves customers money on expensive data charges. Furthermore, this less data-hungry version of Skype is far better optimised to run smoothly on 2G connections.
Optimisation for worse data connections isn’t the only thing Skype Lite has. Skype Lite contains many new features which have been specifically designed with the market in mind. This includes SMS filtering, mobile data and Wi-Fi usage monitoring and India focused Skype Bots. Furthermore, the app has been localised and is available in Gujarati, Bengali, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. The optimisation and data conservation also results in Skype Lite being less taxing on battery life.
Microsoft is also planning to bring Aadhaar (India’s national digital identity scheme) integration to the app by June 2017 which will enable Skype users to verify the identity of unknown callers in a variety of situations where identification verification is required, including job interviews, goods and property sale.
While this seems to be an India exclusive only app, Microsoft have created enough framework for the same app to rolled to other emerging markets.
Source: Microsoft
