[Infowarrior] - Verizon to allow Skype calls over wireless network

[Richard Forno]

Verizon to allow Skype calls over wireless network

By RACHEL METZ
The Associated Press
Tuesday, February 16, 2010; 1:07 PM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/16/AR2010021602367.html?hpid=topnews
SAN FRANCISCO -- Verizon Wireless will let customers use the Internet  
phone service Skype to make free calls on some phones, an application  
that wireless carriers have been slow to allow.

Under a deal announced Tuesday at the Mobile World Congress trade  
show, users of some Verizon phones who have a voice and data plan will  
be able to download a free Skype application in late March. That will  
let them call or instant-message other Skype users for free or call  
regular phone numbers outside the United States for a fee paid to  
Skype. These calls would go over Verizon's network and would not use  
up minutes on a cell phone plan.

Minutes would be deducted, however, to use Skype to call regular phone  
numbers in the U.S., Verizon said.

Initially, the mobile application will be available for nine Verizon  
phones, including several BlackBerry models and Motorola Inc.'s Droid  
and upcoming Devour handsets.

John Stratton, Verizon's chief marketing officer, said the application  
will be able to run all the time in the background. This means other  
people should be able to contact you through Skype even if your phone  
is on standby.

Other wireless carriers have blocked the Skype app from running all  
the time. It's available on the iPhone only in Wi-Fi hot spots. In  
October, AT&T said it would relent and let the program work over its  
cellular network as well, but Skype has not yet released an  
application to enable that. Verizon's version of Skype mobile will not  
work over Wi-Fi, the companies said.