FierceVoIP Leaders: Jonathan Christensen, GM of audio and video for Skype

Jonathan Christensen will be speaking at ITEXPO next week.

FierceVoIP: Jonathan, tell us a little about Skype's current offerings.

Christensen: Well, we are using Skype technology right now to place this call. I dialed my PR representative in London to chat briefly before this interview began. We then dialed into the bridge we are on currently through Skype.

Skype is shifting from pure VoIP and IP telephony to offering rich, multi-modal communications. In the past, on the old telephone system, it was voice and voice only. Now, customers want the ability to text, file share, access rich audio and video in one communications interface, and Skype wants to position to provide these services.

FierceVoIP: What would a good example of the benefits of rich communication be?

Christensen: For instance, earlier today I had a conference call with some of our product developers. While we were engaging in the discussion, I sent them a PowerPoint presentation over the same connection, which we were then able to discuss in real time. They responded by sending me an Excel spreadsheet of some of their results, which we also discussed real time. So I think you can see the benefit of this rich communication, both in this enterprise setting, and for the individual consumer as well.

FierceVoIP: What has Skype done to set itself apart from competitors in the space?

Christensen: At first, Skype was purely a voice tool. But it had great mass appeal because it was free, easy to use, and easy to download. Then, we improved the model by solving scalability issues, audio issues and packet loss problems, so that we were always responding to customer feedback and improving the offering.

FierceVoIP: Will Skype remain primarily a voice company, or can we expect major changes, such as new market entries or products?

Christensen: I think we will continue to iterate the flagship offering, because we continue to see good revenue and think there is a lot of room for growth there. We are also looking into the enterprise space, and we are putting increased focus on mobile applications and continuing to develop down that path. I can't comment on specific platforms, but rest assured, we are looking at adopting Skype technology to the relevant ones.

FierceVoIP: What do you think the next three to five years hold for the industry?

Christensen: I think the continued development of scalable, robust solutions involving VoIP. I think the business UC sector will be a good indicator of the prospects in the mass market. The traditional limiters, such as battery life and CPU power, will probably get solved or continue to hinder in that sector, which will speak volumes about commercial applications. I think Skype's revenue possibilities in this space are fantastic, and I think we have a great leadership position in the area to continue growth. In three years, I think Skype will be a larger, more profitable company still offering the same rich communications experience to a global customer base.