As long as you understand "unlimited" to mean "limited", of course. We take a look at how Skype's prices stack up.
One of the bigger criticisms of Skype's SkypeOut calling service has been the calling rates; while many local VoIP providers offer, for example, 10c untimed national calls, Skype's plugged along with the idea that Australia is a "rest of world" destination, and as such, charged 31 cents per minute for voice calls within Australia, putting them in line more with mobile services -- and often more expensive.
Skype has today made some strides to regain a crown of affordability with the launch of "Unlimited" calling plans that allow you to make calls within specific regions. At the top end, you pay $14.95 for "unlimited" calls to 34 countries worldwide, although specific packages are available; $5.95 will buy you "unlimited" landline calls within Australia. Packages can be purchased on a month by month basis, although there's a 33% discount for buying three or more months in a block. Full pricing details are available at Skype.com.
Skype's deal makes for interesting comparison with local VoIP providers. The 10,000 minutes per month for $5.95 is solid if you're only calling local landlines, but the basic rates for the rest of the service remain unchanged, which makes it poorer value against some local providers, whether you go for a bundled Naked DSL deal from outfits like iinet or GoTalk, or a "pure" VoIP provider such as Mynetfone, where call costs are as low as 10c/untimed for local calls on some zero or low-cost plans, along with better international rates.
You may have noticed us putting "unlimited" in quotation marks. Like right there, for example. That's because Skype's definition of "unlimited" somehow ignores the common understanding of the word -- without limits -- as there definitely are some, specifically as it relates to Skype's fair use policy; go over 10,000 minutes per month and you'll break it. Sure, that's 166 hours, or just under a week solid per month on the phone, but it's still not "unlimited".