mBlox announced that it has been selected by Skype to help power its new Skype SMS service. By connecting to mBlox's mobile message delivery platform, Skype SMS lets people send text messages from their computer to mobile phones across the world. Skype has rolled out the offering to nearly 200 countries worldwide.

Having attracted over 100 million registered users in just two and a half years, Skype is fast becoming the definitive choice for Internet voice conversations. Yet with mobile subscribers far outnumbering worldwide Internet users, mobile services are a new revenue stream for Skype.

Skype SMS provides a quick, cheap way for Skype users to get in touch with contacts when they are offline, unavailable or on the move. During testing, mBlox's SMS coverage and delivery platform proved highly reliable. Other key mBlox advantages include its robust 24/7 client support capabilities and its single point of access for global coverage.

"Skype users can now send SMS text messages to mobile phones straight from the computer, without the aching thumbs," said Michael Jackson, Director, Paid Products, Skype. "Skype SMS provides a cheap and easy way to reach friends, family and colleagues when they are offline or on the move."

"mBlox's network reaches out to our customers worldwide and their DirectPlus MT SMS product set ticked all the boxes for us," Jackson added. "Load tests and measurements showed that it could meet the demanding needs of our users. Being able to measure message-delivery successes and failures is also essential and mBlox's service gives us visibility into the status of our mobile transaction. At this point online Skype users can send SMS messages to mobile, but we are looking to extend this feature."

Jeff Clark, mBlox CEO, said, "With billions of text messages sent in 2005, it's clear SMS is a dominant app for both mobile users and mobile business. We are very pleased that Skype has chosen mBlox based on our proven record and a rigorous review process. Skype's entry into the mobile messaging market is an endorsement of SMS as a revenue-generating communication tool for businesses and of mBlox's ability to power business-critical messaging services."