eBay Pushes Further Into Mobile With Skype On iPhone

Skype plans to roll out an application for Apple’s iPhone this week at CTIA that will allow users to make free calls to other Skype users when they are connected to a WiFi hotspot. The WSJ confirmed the story today, but GigaOm reported rumors last week.

The announcement will likely gain criticism from wireless operators as Skype’s business of allowing phone calls to made over the Internet threatens their core offering of selling wireless voice minutes. Skype’s COO Scott Durchslag told the WSJ that the iPhone app is part of the eBay (NSDQ: EBAY) unit’s push into mobile. Mobile devices are “where the majority of the world’s conversations are happening these days,” he said. “It is the No. 1 request that we get from our customers.” eBay has also been increasing its mobile efforts with PayPal, which will be handling all billing transactions on the upcoming BlackBerry app store.

The WSJ reported that the Skype iPhone app will be free and calls over Wi-Fi to other Skype users will be free, but calls to other phones will likely cost about 2.1 cents a minute. Skype already offers a Windows Mobile and T-Mobile G1 version. A BlackBerry version is coming later this year. The biggest opposition to Skype came in February, when UK operators were reportedly furious with Nokia (NYSE: NOK) after it made plans to pre-load Skype on to its upcoming N97. Despite the buzz around the device, sources indicated that the networks may even end up refusing to stock the devices if Nokia doesn

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