By DANIEL THOMAS July 11, 2007 1:52 p.m.
LONDON -- Mobile-phone giant Nokia Corp. said Wednesday that it would add eBay Inc.'s Skype Internet telephony service to a new device.
The world's largest mobile handset maker by shipments will for the first time make a Skype installation link available on a phone. Users of the N800 Internet Tablet device will be able to make phone calls over wireless Internet connections, often called Wi-Fi, rather than traditional radio networks.
With Internet telephony now becoming available on mobile phones, some analysts predict that mobile phone operators, such as Vodafone Group PLC, could see a fall in call revenues.
However, mobile operators at the same time are investigating ways to offer cheaper calls to customers, including Internet telephony.
"Our users are no longer just using Skype on their computer desktops," said Eric Lagier, Skype's head of business development for mobile. "With the growth of mobile devices and Wi-Fi, consumers expect to be connected wherever they are, at the office, at home or on the move," he said.
