14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier this month at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Skype and Nokia announced that the popular software would come embedded into the mobile phone maker's devices, beginning with the N97 handset, which is expected to hit the market sometime in June.
Unfortunately, it seems that the deal has seen some resistance from wireless operators, and the planned integration might not go as smooth as believed. O2 and Orange have been reported this week to be rather “furious” about Nokia's decision to integrate the software into its new high-end N97 smartphone.
According to the news, the operators could refuse to add the company's devices that include the software allowing users to make free calls over the Internet while using a data connection. At the same time, they might only agree with providing the handsets that would not include Skype, the Mobiletoday Web site says. On the other hand, some of the carriers seem to agree with the deal. T-Mobile would be one of these operators, as well as 3, a U.K. one, which has already added to its lineup phones that include Skype.
The deal between Nokia and Skype is to offer the software embedded into the N97 address book, which would allow users to see when their Skype contacts are online. At the same time, they will be able to employ the popular instant messaging client. The software is also bound to offer them the possibility to make free and low-cost phone calls over the Internet, no matter whether they use a 3G cellular network or a Wi-Fi one.
Some of the mobile phone operators, like O2 and Orange, appear to think that Skype would actually lower the voice traffic and also weaken their relationships with the customers. Nokia hasn't commented on the news that the carriers have complained about the software, yet a spokesperson for the company has stated that the Skype feature could not be present on some of the N97 handsets.
“At Mobile World Congress we announced that Skype would be available on a limited number of N-series devices, beginning with the N97,” the spokesman has shared. “But there is a possibility it won't be on every N97.”