On March 23 2009, Skype announced the beta version of Skype For SIP for Business users.  With around 35% of Skype’s users defining themselves in the business fold, it is an interesting, yet unsurprising move for the eBay owned Luxembourg based Voice over IP (VoIP) / Instant Messaging / Videoconferencing software provider.

Skype For SIP allows SIP PBX owners to benefit from Skype’s low cost calls to fixed phones and mobiles around the world, and to receive calls from Skype users directly into their PBX system.   The features and benefits are clearly set out in the press release but it is also keen to point out that “Skype is not a replacement for your traditional telephone service and cannot be used for emergency calling. Skype for SIP is meant to complement your existing telephone services”.

Businesses can now be reached by the community of over 405 million Skype registered users through click-to-call from their business Web sites. The calls will be received through their existing office system at no cost to the customer. At the same time, businesses can benefit from Skype’s low-cost global calling rates when placing calls to landlines and mobiles worldwide from devices connected to their PBX systems. In addition, they can choose to purchase online Skype numbers available in over 20 countries to receive calls from business contacts and customers who are using traditional fixed lines or mobile phones.  Read the full article at Skype.com