Skype: Missing a Segment?

I was extremely annoyed by eBay’s Skype acquisition, and the consequent stock price drop that eBAY delivered. Needless to say, I am an eBAY shareholder, a rather restless one at the moment.

Now that Skype is inside eBAY, however, I’d really like to see it perform, grow, deliver the grandiose numbers that were projected … Makes me look for strategic options to achieve exactly that!

I found an answer, actually.

Like many other Indians living outside India, I make a lot of calls to my family and friends. Recently, I have started using Skype out, which costs about 15c / minute. I found out, however, that Reliance has a much better deal : 11c / minute. That means, even in cheap calling, Skype is not the best deal.

That’s pathetic.

I don’t have a number for how large the “Indians Calling Home” market is. I am sure it is very large, very dedicated, very stable. Because, culturally, Indians are close to their families, and being inherently community oriented, they tend to CALL. (I call home religiously every Friday.)

So, Skype, please wake up, and figure out how to offer a deal to this market segment that is significantly cheaper than what you are offering right now.

A growth engine is waiting for you to simply take notice!