Skype has joined with 3 to deliver 'free' Voip calls across the mobile network and, as if that wasn't hairy enough news for operators to digest, it is also set to sell major label ringtones.
For now though, the deal between 3 and Skype is being positioned as only doing good for content. 3 sees Skype as another service to add to its bundle, "providing more choice and accelerating the uptake of 3G services." It insists 'free' Skype calls are a customer acquisition play and one that will expose more new subscribers to 3's multifarious media products.
This may well be true. It has to be, as this deal surely marks the start of the erosion of mobile voice revenues. And with Skype offering 'free' instant messaging, the SMS market isn't immune either.
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