● Asterisk X100P FXOHelicomm ZigBee PlatformHome WiFi NetworksIEEE 802.11New Taiwan Hwa Yao TekNexTone RentalRF Linx WLAN RadiosVoIP PSTN GatewayWi-FiWiMAXWirelessWireless securityWirelessGRID Bridgesz LinksZigbee / IEEE802.15.4

Skype trialled on Java mobiles

Navigation: Main page

Author: WildC@rd

Skype has released a test version of a client for Java-enabled mobile devices, a move which the company said is a significant step forward for its mobile strategy. However, at the same time, executives made it clear the software is preliminary and subject to significant limitations. With the new client, Skype joins a number of companies, such as Fring and Truphone, attempting to bring internet telephony to the mobile world. Such moves have so far encountered challenges related to the technology and structure of the mobile-phone industry, and Skype's client is no exception, according to the company. Gareth O'Loughlin, general manager of mobile and hardware devices at Skype, said in a statement: "These are still the early days for making Skype calls on mobile phones but we've already made great strides in this space." The client relies on the ordinary cellular infrastructure for certain portions of the call, meaning users will always pay their usual local or national rate to make calls, according to Skype. The calls can still be cheaper in some cases, Skype said; for instance, callers can make international calls without paying international rates. Calls to landlines and mobile phones entail additional charges, while calls to Skype clients are charged at ordinary local or national mobile rates, Skype said. The client can make use of Skype's instant-messaging and presence features but these entail data charges from the mobile operator. Calls received via the client are charged at SkypeOut rates, Skype said. SkypeOut is Skype's paid service for making calls to landlines and mobile phones. The test software is available worldwide and supports 50 Java-enabled handsets from Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson, Skype said. The ability to make Skype-to-Skype and SkypeOut calls from the mobile handset is limited to eight markets: Brazil, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hong Kong, Poland, Sweden and the UK. Users in other countries can use chat, group chat, presence and receive Skype and SkypeIn calls. SkypeIn is a service allowing users to rent ordinary telephone numbers, with all calls routed from that number to a Skype account. Skype said the test period will last several months and will be followed by a public release. Users can download the software over the air or transfer it to a PC and then to a mobile. The client is available via Skype's website.
Alpha Telecom

C&W CEO quits after profits warning
Despite all the efforts made to bring more competition to the UK telecoms sector, one of BT's main r...

Five mobile trends to watch in 2008
How is 2008 shaping up in the mobile and wireless world and which mobile and wireless technologies a...

Microsoft merges corporate communications divisions
Email and IM are now managed under the same banner in Redmond