- Western Europe (including the Middle East and Africa). This occurs at 10-11 GMT and the number is now around 16 million
- America (including South and Central America). This occurs at 18-19 GMT and is now around 20 million
- Asia (including Pacific countries). This occurs
- at 2-3 GMT and is now around 12 million
Using this analysis, it is possible to see the relative amount of Skype usage is occurring in the three regions and to determine the trends. Here's the data expressed as annual rates of growth of the peaks representing each of the regions.
| 2009 YTD | 2008 | 2007 | |
| Europe/MidEast/Africa | 31.75% | 33.02% | 25.61% |
| Americas_(North/South) | 39.99% | 37.81% | 27.70% |
| Asia/Pacific | 37.69% | 34.11% | 28.20% |
Since 2007, Europe has grown at a slower rate than the Americas and the Asia/Pacific region, especially in 2009. European underperformance has changed the shape of the graph significantly. We used to see the daily peak of usage during the European afternoon at around 15 GMT. Today, the peak is related predominantly to usage in North America which peaks at around 19 GMT.
Comparison 2007 vs. 2009
While Skype growth appears to be slowing in Europe, it is accelerating in the Americas and Asia.
Questions
- It is unclear whether deceleration in Europe is temporary or whether other regions will follow it.
- It is unclear what is causing European and Middle Eastern deceleration.
- It is unclear why Skype usage in the Americas is growing so fast.