Is there anyone using Skipe or any other voice over Internet provider to reduce the cost of phone calls to ordinary phones (mobiles/Landlines)? 

I have used it but let it lapse because the vast majority of the folks I speak to are not on Skype.

if i want 2 send a quick message to a friend i tend to do it over skype rather than send a text.

Skipe are offering unlimited calls to ordinary land line phones across Europe for less then a fiver a month. Or using credit they charge roughly 1.5 pence a minute. This allows it to be used for business as well as pleasure. So Skipe might be worth a try?

I am a very frequent user of skype and have their monthly subscription that allows unlimited international calls to the UK for GBP2.95 per month. The quality is generally very good and better than the conventional telephones. What I find makes it really usable is that I invested in a cordless phone that works straight from the modem. It then operates without the need for the computer and is then just like any household phone. As I have broadband on a monthly subscription my actual call costs are tiny and I can call landlines at home in the UK for the one monthly fee and not worry about the call duration. There is a little investment involved to make it work effectively but I have found it well worth it.

Thanks for that Stuart, a little worried about the available bandwidth from my provider. May have to upgrade. Welcome aboard, good to hear from you.

Regards Mursal

PS Happy New Year

 I use a system called vonage...costs me about 6.99 per month, that gives me free calls to any landline in europe, any time...so it doesnt matter if other people have Vonage or not...I would recommend it to anyone too!

Thanks, I didn't know anything about this VOI provider. Well worth a try.

 As I say I havent a bad word to say about them...works well even with a pretty slow connection, and the few times Ive needed their help, customer services have been great!