Mail.ru, possessing an instrument of voice communication over the Internet Agent Maill.ru, decided to tell his example of the Russian audience VoIP-services.
As it turned out as a result of its own research Mail.ru, young audience members (16-25 years) prefers to use the free phone calls “from computer to computer, while the paid service of voice calls” from computer to external networks “are beginning to use people are a little older (18-30).
While people have resorted to VoIP, with almost equal frequency (55% men and 45% of women), paid severity are lot of men (65% of the audience).
The most interesting part of the report Mail.ru refers to comparison of prices for voice calls between its own agent, Skype and MGTS. As a result, price comparisons undisputed leader in the study was Mail.ru Mail.ru Agent.
CNews independently examined the rates of leading Russian VoIP-service by adding a comparison QiP, the third popular in Russia, IM-messenger.
Comparison rates Mail.ru Agent and QiP gave an interesting result: the price of calls from Mail.ru lower than QiP, and all popular destinations difference in favor of Mail.ru is 1-3 pennies. Interestingly, if the price list QiP consists of rounded prices, price Mail.ru Agent gives you a feeling fast activity prices for the best results. For example, when calling on the Russian mobile phone tariffs QiP listed as 2.4 rubles. And Mail.ru Agent – 2,39 rub.
In his own study Mail.ru most profitable VoIP-client was Mail.ru Agent
Mail.ru representative confirmed in a conversation with CNews, that the company really “recently” there was a recalculation of rates associated with a change in the dollar and the price of the operator Sipnet, channels used to deliver voice traffic Mail.ru Agent. Terms of this conversion company representative did not specify.
Chapter owns QiP service company “media world» Mikhail Gurevich said that, while competing Mail.ru Agent and has a price advantage to 1-2 dime, calls QiP usually cost the consumer more cheaply: in Unlike its competitors, it uses per-second billing (when calling through Mail.ru Agent charging per minute).
Voice over IP – the basic price of the major players (RR)
| Destination | Skype * | QiP ** | Mail.ru Agent |
| Russia (landline) | 1,75 | 1,7-4 | 1,43-1,91 |
| Russia (mobile) | 2,97 | 2,4 | 2,39 |
| Moscow (stationary) | 0,76 | 0,7 | 0,67 |
| St. Petersburg (stationary) | 0,76 | 0,7 | 0,67 |
| Ukraine (landline) | 4,61 | 4,5-4,8 | 3,15 |
| Ukraine (mobile) | 6,53 | 6,7-7,2 | 4,33 |
| USA | 0,76 | 1,3-1,5 | 0,56-1,21 |
* Charges apply for connection to 1.32 rubles. The calculation was based on the exchange rate $ 1 = 29.2859 (on 22.02.2011)
** Per second billing
Source: Mail.ru, QiP, Skype
Director of Skype’s business development in Russia and Eastern Europe Raj Patel said CNews, that its service rates depend on several factors, not all of which control Skype. Since the price impact rate, which is charged by the operator for the “landing” traffic.
According to Raja, significant savings on international calls compared with the per minute rate tariff plans allow unlimited Skype, and plans to build on the monthly package of minutes, which can lower the cost per minute to 68 cents (for calls to fixed numbers in Russian).
Raj Patel said that “competition in the VoIP market is not confined to prices and, given the price, product range, availability on different platforms, audio and video quality of Skype is very strong position».
Own VoIP-projects in Russia suggest three messenger instant message: Mail.ru Agent, Skype and QiP. ICQ, the summer of 2010 belongs Mail.ru Group, also has voice services – as a “computer to computer» (PC2PC), and with access to external network operators (PSTN).
None of the operators surveyed did not want to call CNews size of its audience, enjoying the voice services in addition to chat. The total monthly audience of subscribers QIP in late 2010 estimated at $ 10.2 million against 15 million people monthly audience Mail.ru Agent. Skype, which is used by more than 500 million people in the world, does not disclose specific figures for Russia.
Market Analysis Voice IP – not an easy task, shared with CNews analyst iKS-Consulting Irina Yakimenko . Because of the complexity of calculation of the market, iKS-Consulting has not conducted its research. According to her, planned to run reports on this market are likely to be based on expert assessments.
present estimate of the domestic market VoIP-telephony is reduced to no more than 3% of the total market for voice services, which is forecast Irina Yakimenko, in 2010 amount to 833 billion rubles. Thus VoIP-operators in the past year, according to experts iKS-Consulting earned about 25 billion rubles.
Moreover, stressed Irina Yakimenko, the proportion of traffic generated VoIP-operators in the Russian networks, significantly higher than 3% of the traffic Runet. However, most of it does not monetize, because the formed free calls PC2PC.