Skype potential on dual-mode cellular handsets accelerates
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Saul Klein, VP of marketing at Skype, says that the company expects more mobile operators will install Skype on their handsets and offer VOIP to their cellular clients.
"We'll see more operators working with us in the coming months."
Klein also said that "next year we'll offer a WiFi phone, first in single mode, then a dual-mode WiFi/GSM device."
This will potentially greatly expand the subscriber base and the potential for the voice services market.
It also marks a turning point for Vodafone because Vodafone Germany had announced it would not be supporting any VoIP calling on its 3G network after July 2007, but recently changed its mind - indicating that the market forces are moving against that initial decision.
It's the dual-mode handsets, and whether or not they are fiction or fact, that seems to be confusing a lot a people. In Japan they are fact, including some corporate installations of up to 10,000 dual mode handsets. HTC of Taiwan has reputedly approached Skype to create a port of its voice over IP software for its range of Windows Mobile-powered smart phones.
This suggests that HTC, which is responsible for the design and manufacture of many of the world's Windows Mobile devices, is also investigating bringing WLAN to its mass-market handsets, and certainly others like BenQ is working with Kineto Wireless and the UMA standards to do the same.
HTC also makes the range of handsets for the very successful Carrier Devices - namely their "i-mate" range, and Carrier is certainly innovative enough to want to have a Skype client on their handsets as soon as possible.
Even more dramatic, Sleipner S.A., a Milan based, wholly owned subsidiary company of Calypso Wireless, demonstrated a seamless handover between VOIP/WiFi and cellular on a Windows Mobile device at the Octber Microsoft SMAU 2005 trade show in Italy.
"CoMob is the first seamless mobility solution allowing mobile users to manage a cellular call (GSM/UMTS) and VoIP/WiFi calls with one single interface. CoMob products turn a Windows Mobile dual-mode Smart phone (with a WiFi and GSM/UMTS connection) into a telephone capable of receiving and making VoIP calls in the WiFi network-covered areas. In an office or in a house it behaves like a cordless telephone (an extension or a private telephone number) and it can an office or handle GSM calls in areas where a wireless WiFi connection is not available. When both connections are available, CoMob allows managing the two types of calls with hold and unhold functions," said Bruno Motta, Vice President of Marketing of Sleipner SA.
That's truly a sign that dual-mode, VOIP over WiFi, and seamless handover to cellular, have already arrived.
Now, just insert the Skype client into the equation...
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