To call a Skype contact, you click the off-hook phone icon in the contact list, or double-click the entry. (Since a single click gets information about the contact, I kept accidentally double-clicking and initiating calls, but the on-hook phone icon worked fast to hang up.) If you'd rather chat using IM, there is a "silent" chat interface, and you can choose to archive text (but not audio) conversations.
VoIP Still Quirky
The roughest thing about Skype is really about VoIP in the year 2005. Even VoIP lines on enterprise rollouts are still plagued with packet loss, jitter, and delay. Individual implementations over DSL or cable especially when the participants are surfing the Web or passing files while talking won't be the sine qua non of clear communication.
I tested Skype on two computers, and called seven different Skype users with their sundry configurations, under a variety of conditions. On both computers, I ran Skype's equipment pre-test from the Skype menu, and everything passed. However, when I received calls from outside machines to either of the two test systems, every call that I answered disconnected immediately, although I was able to reestablish contact with the caller right away by dialing the person back. I was never able to resolve the problem; however, I should note that none of the other callers in my test group recalled experiencing the exact same phenomenon when they received calls.
I tried calls at various times of the day, some over heavy local network traffic. Some had echo on one or both ends, ranging from light to oppressive, and there was one call with a pronounced walkie-talkie cut-out effect. One call was dropped completely four times before the conversation ended voluntarily, but that was unusual. No call sounded exactly like a normal, circuit-switched telephone conversation, although that can be attributable to some degree to the quality of the microphone and speakers used.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
