Skype has released into open beta testing a client for mobile phones that supports phone calls, chat, and other features of the popular VoIP application, an InfoWorld Daily report said.
'This product is a part of our goal to be on as many platforms as possible,' Wilhelm Lundborg, product manager, was quoted by the InfoWorld Daily report as saying.
About 50 handsets from Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson are compatible with the service.
Right now, all the features work in the UK, Brazil, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Poland, and Estonia.
Elsewhere, the data features and incoming Skype calls work, but the software does not allow outbound calls.
Just like existing the existing Skype client, offered by, for example, mobile carrier 3, it uses the mobile network to make calls, like a traditional phone.
All calls are routed via a Skype-owned gateway, to keep costs down.
The mobile data network is used to send presence information and instant messages.
What a user pays depends on a number of factors. Calling a Skype contact abroad will be cheaper than making regular calls, because users pay whatever their mobile carrier charges for a local or national call, which will be less expensive than regular international connections.