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Telecommunications Industry News

Cell Phone Industry Still Not Ready for Mobile Skype
7:15 am on January 23, 2007

Online VoIP giant, Skype, says that the wireless world is not yet ready for a mobile version of the Skype communication software.

The vast majority of mobile data plans, which would be required to run Skype, are too expensive to make the service practical, according to the company’s hardware and software business development chief, Eric Lagier.

“We don’t want to be in a situation where we say: ‘Skype is free’ and then at the end of the month, the user gets this huge broadband bill,” Lagier explained.

Before Skype can undergo a mainstream launch in the mobile environment, the cost of flat-rate wireless data packages will need to decline significantly, and carriers around the world will need to cooperate with the service.

So far, Skype has only enlisted the help of 3, a third-generation wireless carrier in the UK, which has agreed to offer unlimited Skype calling for just £5.00 per month. Other providers will need to follow suit, however, before Skype can launch a downloadable version of its services for mobile phones around the world.