Big news for Skype and Nokia … and in turn mobile phone operators.
It’s just announced that Skype will be integrated into Nokia handsets, starting in the 3rd quarter of 2009 with the N97.
As well as allowing Skype calls via 3G and WiFi, Skype to Skype calls will be free (excluding any data charges), we’re also told that “low-cost Skype calls to landlines and mobile devices” will be allowed.
The surprise is that Skype contact details will be integrated into the handsets address book, showing the presence of the Skype user and enabling instant messaging.
Skype has previously had some success getting on to mobile phones, the most significant of which was the deal with 3, but this deal with Nokia is far more significant.
Good for mobile service providers?
As to how the mobile service providers will react to it is quite another matter.
If their subscribers are using data bundles, the operators aren’t going to make any money from calls that are made over their networks, reducing them to providing the plumbing to enable it.
Speculation continues to grow that the Internet auction website eBay is preparing to flog off its VoIP telephony service, Skype.
What do you do if you’ve sold your business for X billion dollars?
Of equal value, if not greater, to Skype’s voice calling is the IM (Instant Messengering).
Skype has passed a pretty significant milestone, serving over 100 billion (US billion) minutes of Skype-to-Skype calls, be that voice and video calls. Yes, that’s 100,000,000,000 free discussion minutes since Skype’s launch in 2003.
Quick follow up on the 
You’ll remember the outcry when Skype forced many of their 
Skype _will_ be coming to Sony’s PSP.
It looks like Sony will unveil Skype running on their PSP at CES, which starts in a few days.
Skype seriously annoyed a lot of people when they