The internet connection speed required by Skype depends on the type of calls you make on it. Below are the minimum and recommended speeds for optimal performance.

The table below lists the minimum required upload and download speeds, as well as the recommended speeds for optimal performance.

call type Minimum speed
receive/transmit
Recommended Speed
receive/transmit
Calls 30 Kbps / 30 Kbps 100 Kbps / 100 Kbps
Video calls/
screen demonstration
128 Kbps / 128 Kbps 300 Kbps / 300 Kbps
video calls
(high quality)
400 Kbps / 400 Kbps 500 Kbps / 500 Kbps
video calls
(HD resolution)
1.2 Mbps / 1.2 Mbps 1.5 Mbps / 1.5 Mbps
Group video calls
(3 members)
512 Kbps / 128 Kbps 2 Mbps / 512 Kbps
Group video calls
(5 members)
2 Mbps / 128 Kbps 4 Mbps / 512 Kbps
Group video calls
(more than 7 participants)
4 Mbps / 128 Kbps 8 Mbps / 512 Kbps

If you're signed in to Skype but don't call anyone, Skype will use an average of 0-4 Kbps. When you make a call, Skype uses 24-128 kbps on average.

  • Close other applications that use the Internet, especially those that play music and videos.
  • Cancel file transfers in progress.

If this does not resolve the issue, you may need a faster connection. For more information about download and upload speeds, contact your ISP.

The connection speed required for Skype Connect depends on the following factors:

  1. How much you use your internet connection for email, web browsing and other data transfers.
  2. How many calls can be made at the same time in your company.

Depending on how many calls you need, you may need a separate Internet connection exclusively for Skype Connect. We recommend consulting with experts to accurately determine the needs of your company.

The following table shows the approximate number of simultaneous calls using the G.729 standard that can be made with typical types of Internet connections.

Through the Skype messenger, it is possible to easily enjoy communication with friends, even if you are in Moscow, and the interlocutor is somewhere in Cambodia or at the North Pole. Moreover, a free basis of communication will be a good bonus in addition. You only pay the ISP, not the system developers. And when your tariff is unlimited, then Skype is a free pleasure for you.

Internet speed

When you enter the messenger, without making calls, an average of up to 4 Kbps is transmitted. For voice communication, a minimum level of 24 and a maximum of 128 Kbps are consumed. It is possible to make voice calls with almost any bandwidth of the Internet connection. But video calling requires more.

Required Bandwidth

What should be the speed for the messenger when making video calls. The bandwidth required for the application to work depends not only on the type of connection, but also on the desired quality.

The minimum speed for Skype of very low quality is 128 Kbps. However, the clearer you want to see the image, the faster the connection itself can be.

So what speed is needed for Skype with video. The proper level of speed corresponds to approximately 300 Kbps.

When making calls in HD format, you can achieve normal operation when the Internet is at least 1.5 Mbps. If the network is used for conferences, then the speed mode that allows optimal performance should be considered at least 2 Mbps. Moreover, the more interlocutors, the more anxiety.

How to check the sufficiency

If you decide to install the messenger for certain purposes, you can find out if the connection on your device is enough to make different types of calls through the application. To do this, you need to take the following steps:

  • click on the name of the user selected for the dialog;
  • in the field that opens, move the cursor over the icon in the form of a ladder, and its name "Data on the quality of communication" will be displayed;
  • click on this option;
  • move to the "Connection" tab;
  • click on the "Check" icon. pic 1

This will open the connectivity report. In the case when the application has a low speed level, then it is more expedient to cancel the call or increase the throughput level.

You can check the speed level during a call. For this:

  • click on the “Call Technical Info” option in the menu;
  • in the window that opens (in the main section) of Technical Information calls, the throughput is displayed. pic 2

Speed ​​calculation programs

There are special applications that determine how much traffic is spent. There are a lot of them, although the most popular of them are:

  • Networx - keeps a complete account of the traffic from the selected device, calculating it by users, as well as by terms (day, week, etc.). At what there is a version that does not need to be downloaded.
  • Traffic Counter - for the mobile version, it monitors overall traffic, as well as incoming or outgoing. pic 3

change speed

If your connection does not reach the desired bandwidth, then you can follow some recommendations.

Today I faced the following question: What Internet speed is needed for normal communication in Skype (Skype). I decided to study the Internet a little, and at the same time I quickly found the answer to the question. Although there were many answers and sources too, I will write approximate average data and recommendations from the Skype developers themselves.

So, for normal Skype communication only through voice transmission (only a microphone is needed), approximately 100 kilobits per second is needed, for communication via a video camera, a 4 times larger communication channel of 0 400 kilobits per second is required. In fact, I have not checked the speed data yet and I will try to unsubscribe as soon as I try slow Internet 🙂 And finally, I will write off the official recommendations from the Skype manufacturer: Conversation: For Skype-to-Skype voice calls we recommend: 10 Kbits to 64 Kbits speed. In continuation of the post: the recommended Internet speed for communicating via webcam and the impressions of paid Skype calls to a landline phone.

Video calling: For Skype-to-Skype video (both normal and high quality) we recommend: 384 kbps. I think everything is clear here, I hope this information will help someone, because everyone may be faced with the question: what Internet speed is needed to communicate via Skype.

PS: Well, at the end of the post I will share my impressions of ip telephony, a paid Skype service that allows you to call landline and mobile phones to different countries. Just a few days ago, it was necessary to call a landline phone in a city located in the Far East. Since I was too lazy to invent something with long-distance calls, I began to invent how it could be done differently. Here I was pleased with my quick launch bar, where I found the Skype icon and it was decided to check the quality of the connection of the Skype conversation.

I began to read where you can get or how you can pay for access to such calls. It turned out that you can directly replenish the internal wallet, which is linked to the user account, directly from the official website of this software. We go to the site, enter the control panel, select the payment method and the number of credits needed (I chose 5 credits) and pay for the connection using webmoney. Everything is fast - it took about 2 minutes 🙂 And now I can already dial a phone number directly from the program's internal dialog.

7-city-code-phone number

I hear beeps and at the other end of the "wire" they pick up the phone. As it turned out, I can hear just fine (can ordinary ip telephony boast of such a thing?), And I hear everything just fine. Plus, the tariff is very cheap, I looked at a couple of sites on tariffs, Skype turned out to be the most minimal. I think that if you need to call to another city, while you have a computer connected to the Internet, a laptop or netbook, or Skype Phone, then this is the best method. The only thing you need is to put a few euros on the account so that the connection is always at hand.

One of the most common tasks that users want to solve when connecting to the Internet outside the city, whether it is a summer house or a house for permanent residence, is the full use of such a popular service as Skype. And then the question arises, will Skype work? Is there enough speed and traffic for this?

Where a cable Internet line is suitable, as a rule, such a question does not arise. The speed of access via fiber (up to 100 Mb / s) is quite sufficient for Skype and for watching movies online, and even in HD quality.

But what to do when there is no opportunity to use broadband access? What should all those who live in small holiday villages where cable providers are in no hurry do? What speed is required to use Skype?

Internet GPRS from operators Kyivstar, MTS or Life (lifecell), is not able to provide sufficient speed. If a voice call over Skype can still go through, then the video is almost gone. The picture stops, everything freezes, and communication takes place with great difficulty. If it happens at all. Such an Internet, as a rule, gives a download speed of no more than 100 kbps. With a good alignment of stars. Although theoretically it can reach up to 200 kbps.

New Services 3G from GSM operators (these are MTS, Kyivstar, Lifecell) provide a fairly high speed. The declared 42 Mb/s would be enough if this speed were constant. But, as the network loads, it will fall. But to what extent, it will be seen in the coming year. In any case, the coverage of this 3G is quite limited at the moment, so it's not worth betting on these operators yet.

The required speed can also be provided by the service MTS - Connect from the MTS operator. Subject to good coverage, low network load, or installation of an external antenna with a weak signal.

Internet from SDMA operators, such as PEOPLEnet or Intertelecom, also opens up great opportunities for the full use of the Skype service. True, PEOPLEnet has reduced its coverage in Ukraine to a minimum, but Intertelecom is working quite stably and is even slowly developing. Here you also need to know the coverage at the point of use. If it is insufficient, then it can also be recommended to install an external directional antenna. When all is well, the speed of reception and transmission can range from 1Mbps to 3-5Mbps. Sometimes more. This speed allows you to feel very good not only in Skype, but also when watching various video services. Well, okromya, HD (high) quality.

What speed is needed for Skype?

So, what speed should a subscriber have to use Skype so that communication is comfortable and does not cause inconvenience?

Before answering this question, I want to give one piece of advice that you may have ignored when using fast internet somewhere in a big or small city. Before the “communication session”, disable all unnecessary services on your laptop that may consume traffic. All sorts of torrents. Close the browser so that open pages do not pull traffic, turn off online music, wait until the antivirus or similar programs are updated. As a rule, this is ten minutes after your computer has accessed the Internet (at a good speed).

Now for speed. Let's first see what camera installed on your device through which Skype communication will take place. Here, as a rule, there are several options: 0.3 Mp, 1.3 Mp, 2 Mp and more. The lower the resolution of your camera and your interlocutor, the less speed and traffic you will need for problem-free communication.

Now in numbers. In order to communicate with a 0.3-1.3 MP camera on both sides, it is necessary that the receive and transmit speeds do not fall below 250 kB / s. At this speed, small periodic braking, a screen in squares, etc. are possible.

To "work well" - you need a speed of 500 kbps and higher. Under this condition, the camera and 2MP will work. And at a speed of 1 Mb / s, there should not be any special problems, provided that all the speed of your Internet is spent only on Skype. Nothing is updated, no viruses send anything anywhere.

How much data is needed for Skype?

The second question that may arise when connecting to wireless Internet is what tariff package to take. Or, in other words, how much traffic does Skype take?

It all depends on how much you will talk on this service. That is, how long the session will last. If video is enabled from both sides, that is, you and your interlocutor, then even if you silently look at each other, Internet traffic goes out, and goes out quite well.

For example, you can take the speed of an Internet connection from 500 kbps to 1 Mbps. Let the duration of our conversation be one hour. The video is on, and let the cameras for you and your interlocutor be 2MP each. In this case, the approximate traffic consumption will be up to half a gigabyte. That is, 500MB will be spent on this conversation.

Now we take tariff packages and see that the amount of traffic per day is not less 1000 MB(one gigabyte). We leave a margin for visiting sites, videos, etc. In a month, respectively, if you use every day, there must be at least 30 GB of traffic.

If your communication is more extensive, then you need more traffic. Maybe even unlimited with no speed limit. In general, each operator has statistics, unless of course it is an unlimited tariff plan. Therefore, it is necessary to use, look and draw conclusions ...

The internet connection speed required by Skype depends on the type of calls you make on it. Below are the minimum and recommended speeds for optimal performance.

The table below lists the minimum required upload and download speeds, as well as the recommended speeds for optimal performance.

call type Minimum speed
receive/transmit
Recommended Speed
receive/transmit
Calls 30 Kbps / 30 Kbps 100 Kbps / 100 Kbps
Video calls/
screen demonstration
128 Kbps / 128 Kbps 300 Kbps / 300 Kbps
video calls
(high quality)
400 Kbps / 400 Kbps 500 Kbps / 500 Kbps
video calls
(HD resolution)
1.2 Mbps / 1.2 Mbps 1.5 Mbps / 1.5 Mbps
Group video calls
(3 members)
512 Kbps / 128 Kbps 2 Mbps / 512 Kbps
Group video calls
(5 members)
2 Mbps / 128 Kbps 4 Mbps / 512 Kbps
Group video calls
(more than 7 participants)
4 Mbps / 128 Kbps 8 Mbps / 512 Kbps

If you're signed in to Skype but don't call anyone, Skype will use an average of 0-4 Kbps. When you make a call, Skype uses 24-128 kbps on average.

  • Close other applications that use the Internet, especially those that play music and videos.
  • Cancel file transfers in progress.

If this does not resolve the issue, you may need a faster connection. For more information about download and upload speeds, contact your ISP.

The connection speed required for Skype Connect depends on the following factors:

  1. How much you use your internet connection for email, web browsing and other data transfers.
  2. How many calls can be made at the same time in your company.

Depending on how many calls you need, you may need a separate Internet connection exclusively for Skype Connect. We recommend consulting with experts to accurately determine the needs of your company.

The following table shows the approximate number of simultaneous calls using the G.729 standard that can be made with typical types of Internet connections.