Aug 31, 2010 09:54 GMT  ·  By

Skype is making a play for the enterprise market with Skype Connect 1.0 (formerly Skype for SIP) which integrates VoIP communications with existing PBX (private branch exchange) hardware.

The new service enables businesses to make calls from regular phones, using the system already in place over a Skype connection for a significant cost advantage.

[B]ased on internal research, in the first quarter of 2010, approximately 37% of Skype users reported that they use Skype for some business or business-related purposes,” David Gurlé, VP and general manager of Skype for Business, said.

Following Skype Manager’s launch in May, we are very proud to add Skype Connect to our list of specially designed enterprise solutions," he announced.

"Skype Connect seeks to enable our customers to reduce their phone bills, while protecting their investment in existing telecommunications equipment,” he added.

Skype Connect enables businesses to integrate the VoIP service with their existing infrastructure. Users can make outbound calls through the regular phones to mobile networks or landlines and be billed at Skype's standard rates. Calls to Skype users will be free.

Of course, it also allows the company to be contacted through Skype, which would make it easier for customers and potential customers to get in touch with the company.

For example, it enables businesses to add Click-to-call buttons to their websites so visitors can call the appropriate people at the company using their Skype account.

The service is available for €4.95 / $6.95 per channel for companies, while call rates are the regular ones. One channel allows one call to be made at a time, either inbound or outbound.

Skype is hardly alone in the IP-PBX space, a number of startups as well as established players offer similar services. None of them are as large as Skype, though, which boasts 600 million users worldwide.

Google is also becoming a competitor, though it hasn't entered the enterprise market just yet. But it has added the ability to call phones from inside Gmail and use a Google Voice number for that. It would be very easy for Google to add the new integrated service to Google Apps.