After the announcement that Skype will be available on mobile phones, now it is time for a new mobile service based on this program to be launched.

Connectotel, a British company involved in development of mobile solutions and products, announced the launch of the public Beta test of its new service “Skype to SMS” service.
The service allows Skype users to send SMS text messages form within Skype Chat to any GSM phone.

Actually, according to Connectotel, the first service launched three weeks ago was “SMS to Skype” and it has a very positive feedback from Skype users. As comments Marcus Williamson of Connectotel: “Now we are adding the next logical progression: “Skype to SMS”. The current private Beta testers have already shown enormous enthusiasm for being able to send SMS text messages from Skype Chat using this new service. Now we are opening up the service to a wider public."

But how the service works? To be able to send SMS messages form Skype, users need to add a new name to their Skype Contacts lists and request an authorization form the smsgateway. Then they need to start a chat with this “smsgateway” and to send a message they will type from within Skype window:

+number message

The message is transmitted to Connectotel's 'Skype to SMS' gateway system and is passed from there to the GSM network.
The “SMS to Skype” Beta test service is available free of charge to all users of Skype, but until now there is no details about the cost of the service after the beta phase it will be finished.

Connectotel is examining the possibility of providing other gateway services, including, for example, links to and from e-mail, fax and outside data feeds, based on similar technology.