Skype is an instant messaging software that allows users to communicate with each other via instant messaging, text messaging, and audio and video calls. It differs from other instant messaging software as it provides users with personalization features such as emoticons, personal profiles, and signatures, as well as group communication methods such as conference calling. Skype also records users’ messages and audio calls for later review and allows users to make calls to both local and international land-line and mobile phones at extremely low rates.

 

What is Bandwidth?

Bandwidth is a term that refers to the amount of data that is either uploaded or downloaded to or from a computer. Although most Internet Service Providers or ISPs allocate a specific amount of bandwidth to each subscriber per month before his/her data speeds are restricted, subscribers do not usually exceed this limit and, therefore, never notice a decline in bandwidth. However, bandwidth stretched across multiple computers in a single network can cause Internet connection issues with any individual computer on the network if one computer is running software that uses large amounts of bandwidth or the user is downloading a large file.

 

How Much Bandwidth does Skype Use?

While Skype is running in the computer background, it hardly uses any bandwidth at all. However, if a user is making an audio or video call, Skype can use between 30 kbps and 4 mbps, which is quite a large amount of bandwidth over the course of a month. At 30 kbps, Skype will use roughly 2.5 MB every 20 minutes. At 4 mbps, Skype will use roughly 240 MB every minute, although this is extremely rare and is only seen on high definition, fiber-optic systems.