You may know that Skype, the P2P telephony platform that is all the rage in early adopter circles, is being developed in Estonia. You may also know that the little country that could is dear to my heart. But you might not know that in Estonia, Skype adoption has already crossed the chasm.
When something big happens in a little country, word gets around fast. Even my father-in-law is using Skype to call us (instead of our Vonage line). Family doctors are using it to set appointments and communicate with patients. I don't have any country-by-country statistics (do you?), just personal anecdotes that regular people are using Skype in droves instead of calls. People are using it for more than saving money with call quality above standard (better than mobile) -- but because the mode of use differs it is gaining a different culture of use.
Some context. Estonia gave a monopoly concession to the state operator for local and international telephony in the process of privatization. However, the concession agreement explicitly granted exception to IP communications. Competition for broadband and mobile operators is relatively healthy; Internet and Mobile adoption rates are among the highest in the world.
Don't be suprised to see Skype-to-Mobile features soon -- and that Estonian article in the above link says they will have a Skype-to-terrestrial phone service this winter.
Oh, as an aside, some people call it E-stonia. Recently the UN recognized it in the Top 10 government websites. A long time ago I helped create president.ee, but that's nothing compared to what they provide today. Most notibly Today I Decide (Täna Otsustan Mina), where citizens can provide direct feedback, poll and track the decisions of the Parliment.
