yes true...these services indeed have made communication easier and cheaper...
u also have globe7 which is as good as skype....also u can earn free talktime...
however, by far skype is the best as it is very convenient.....you can easliy reload it ....they have a lot of payment options ...which makes it very flexible .....(not everyone has a debit or credit card so you can even pay by cash or bank transfer)