Nokia says it is co-operating with a leading provider of Internet-based phone to enable cellphone users to make wireless calls without using precious paid minutes.
The world’s largest mobile-phone maker has also announced new models at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and claimed a lead in the market for smart phones with 40 million units sold last year.
Nokia said its new N800 Internet Tablet will permit wireless phone connections through eBay Inc.’s Skype service. The model is available immediately in the United States and selected European countries. The Skype features will be available for download by June, Nokia added.
“Working with the leading mobile-handset manufacturer puts us in a unique position to get Skype to the mobile masses,” said Eric Lagier, head of Skype’s business development in hardware and mobile operations.
Skype is among several Internet-based phone services that work by splitting voice conversations into data packets just like email and web pages. The packets are then sent over the Internet, in this case using a wireless Wi-Fi connection. The packets are reassembled at the destination.
Voice calls over Wi-Fi networks are far cheaper than minutes on cellular networks because they use free radio spectrum and the Internet and do not require large cell towers.
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1 Skype: No Mobile Phone Client for now | Logicbank Media // Jan 14, 2007 at 5:19 pm
[...] Despite its reservations, Skype may be forced to act by its competitors. UK-based Truphone, has already released software that allows users to place VOIP calls on WI-FI enabled Nokia mobile phones. The Nokia phones act as a normal mobiles, using a service providers cell network, until the encounter a WI-FI hotspot. Nokia recently announced new WI-FI phones at the CES show in Las Vegas. [...]
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