Skype enterprise SIP service enters public trials

Skype opened its SIP enterprise service to public trials today after testing it among a small group of handpicked users so far.

Skype’s SIP service, which brings its peer-to-peer voice service to devices using Session Initiation Protocol, will cost $6.95 per month per channel for concurrent calls, though the company says prices might change as a result of lessons learned from the public trial. Individual calls to any of the other half-billion Skype numbers are free, and other calls are about 2 cents per minute. Customers will also have access to an additional 20% call volume when they need it, for an additional charge, and customers who frequently exceed their subscription’s capacity level be advised to upgrade.

“If people abuse it, we have capability to turn off that bursting,” said Matt Jordan, Skype’s enterprise business development manager.

Though the service can be ordered online, most enterprises using Skype’s service will want a session border controller (SBC) on their premises to act as a firewall and prevent SIP-based denial of service attacks. All of the trial participants so far chose an SBC.

Skype is working with Acme Packet (NASDAQ:APKT) to supply those SBCs for now. And it’s certified with Cisco and ShoreTel initially for PBXs but expects to add more enterprise IT hardware and software certifications over time. Those vendors won’t necessarily sell Skype’s service but may “evangelize” it, said Jordan, who allowed for the possibility of VAR channels after the service exits these initial trials.

As of yesterday, more than 10,000 businesses had already signed up for the public trials of Skype’s SIP service, and hundreds of thousands of businesses already use Skype’s standard service.

Newly liberated from legal entanglements surrounding its former parent, eBay, Skype recently said it is looking for more partnerships with carriers – particularly mobile carriers. But that is not a priority for its enterprise business.

“Partnering with ISPs? Not so much,” Jordan said. “We’re agnostic there.”

Skype’s disruptive pricing is sure to make an impact in this competitive space. New SIP trunking services from carriers are sprouting up all the time, like the one XO Communications announced for multi-location enterprises this week. And Google Voice continues to gain attention, as its recent acquisition of VoIP startup Gizmo5 suggests it plans to compete more directly with Skype going forward.

Jordan avoided criticizing Google’s offering but did tout his company’s head start, with more than 500 million lines and a large global presence as the world’s largest provider of international calls.