Haters gonna hate. So as long as Google Voice stays exclusive to the U.S and doesn't expand to Canada, I'm going to continue to use Skype. There is a reason why SkypeOut (calls to landlines and mobiles) costs money whereas Google is able to get away with offering free U.S phone numbers and free calls to US and Canadian landlines and mobiles. Skype has a shitload of infrastructure built up worldwide whereas Google Voice's infrastructure is much, much smaller (being US only). Google hasn't been in the Voice Over IP game very long.
And as I've experimented with Gmail, I can make calls through Gmail but I can only use the default California-based phone number that Google gives you because as a resident outside the US I can't get a Google Voice account and phone number. Which makes things pretty useless because my family and friends would get confused seeing a long-distance phone number show up on their call display instead of my mobile number. And I can't call through Gmail on my smartphone (because Google Voice calling in Gmail requires a plug-in that works only on personal computers, not smartphones), which makes Gmail calling useless to me anyway when I don't have access to a computer with internet access (ie. like when I'm out). Like I said, the lack of Skype Online Numbers for Canadians also pisses me off (if I get incoming calls on my phone, I have to use up my Telus airtime). But at least I can actually make Voice over IP calls with my smartphone to landlines and mobiles using Skype and at affordable rates. And I have my Skype set up so that my mobile number shows up when I call people.
I'd imagine that Google Voice is probably part of the reason why Skype isn't profitable anymore. After all if you are living in America, you can get a local Google phone number for free and can make calls to US and Canadian landlines and mobiles for free. Whereas if you went with Skype, you'd have to pay like $18/3 months (avg $6/month) for a local Skype phone number (apparently you can get 50% off with a subscription. So I guess that's $3/month if you get the $2.99/month Unlimited US and Canada landline and mobiles subscription. That's like $6/month in total for a number and US/Canada calling.) $6/month for a local phone number and US/Canada calling with Skype versus FREE? You can't compete with free (so as long as the sound quality of Google Voice is good and apparently it is). So I'm not surprised that Skype is losing favor and losing money. But internationally (while the US market is huge and makes a significant impact, remember that the world doesn't revolve around the US), Skype is still the premier choice for Voice over IP telephony. And chances are if Google Voice expanded to Canada and other places internationally, you can probably kiss the free US/Canada calling goodbye. As the Google Voice infrastructure expands, Google will have to find a way to foot the bill to build the infrastructure and maintain it somehow right?
