In the early 2000s the internet began challenging Telecom's position as dominant provider of services. Broadband access supported new telecommunication applications, such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). VoIP was pioneered by Skype. By 2008 the company carried 33 billion minutes of international voice calls worldwide, around 8% of the total number of calls. These two friends, one in Wellington, the other (on screen) in the US, talk using Skype. Standard equipment includes a video camera, allowing those talking to see each other, and microphone headsets. The second monitor shown here is not required.