Call Transfer API -- More Details Announced But Still Coming
Perhaps the most demanded feature at last year's Skype Developer Conference was Call Transfer API's. We have seen some activity for Skype to Skype calls recently; however, information on activity related to calls originating or terminating via SkypeIn or SkypeOut (which require significantly more infrastructure) has been negligible.
Today Skype's April Developer newsletter issued a post by Morné van Dalen, Technical Project Manager on the Skype for Windows desktop team, responsible for developing the Call Transfer algorithms.
This feature has been one of the most requested/anticipated features for a long time, so it is important for us to make sure we get it right. We want to be able to offer a feature that not only matches functionality available on your landline or mobile, but be able to deliver an even better experience. That seems like a tall order, so how are we going to do it?
He goes on to outline Functionality, Transfer Methods, Which calls can be transferred and Integrating with existing functionality, including Voice Mail and Call Forwarding.
To clear up one item that is a bit confusing in all this. The Call Tranfer API Skype to Skype API has been available for Skype to Skype calls for a few months; its first implementation in a Skype client was in the recently released Skype for Mac 2.6 beta and it's used in Pamela 3.5. Separate development Infrastructure build out work is required for each of the API's modes liniking Skype to SkypeOut, etc.; the relevant API's modes will apparently become available over the next few weeks.
Note that call transfers to SkypeOut number and transfers of SkypeIn calls will only be available to Skype Pro customers. Hopefully it gets worked in for those of us on the Unlimited North American subscription plan as well. But Phil also asks in the Skype 3.2 Group Chat:
Phil Wolff | Skype Journal | Oakland, Calif |GMT -8 says: "I also think it's weird that you can't xfer calls to groups or skypeout unless you are in a pricing package. Why not just end the call if the account runs out of skype credits?
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Comments
Admittedly I am not that well informed about Skype's inner working. Nonetheless I fail to see why transfer of calls that include SkypeIn/SkypeOut "require significantly more infrastructure". I would think that SIP gateways are under the control of a "Skype client" (the newsletter uses the term SIPIn/SIPOut), which could follow the P2P transfer procedure and map it to the corresponding SIP procedure towards the gateways to complete the transfer. Thus P2P clients need to follow only one procedure, whatever the scenario. Granted that SIPIn/SIPOut have to include the policy module to ensure that transfer is allowed for tariff point of view; is this what is being referred to as :infrastructure buildout"?
Posted by: Aswath | April 26, 2007 08:38 AM