Skype-Boingo Make a Deal
Boingo is jumping on the Skype bandwagon - or is the other around? - with the launch of a beta service called Skype Zones that will give Skype users Wi-Fi access using Boingo's software and its 18,000 hotspots. The cost? Unlimited Skype-Boingo access for $7.95 a month or $2.95 for a two-hour session. The deal looks like a win-win for both sides. Boingo gets a much-needed shot in the arm to increase hotspot usage and make some money, while Skype boosts its user-friendly factor and makes its service even more mainstream. One of the things that continues to impress me about Skype's strategic evolution is how it has gone from a free rebelous P2P service just a few years ago to being an Internet telephony player with 45 million users, including a growing base of paying customers.
In related news, Samsung and LG both plans to roll out new hybrid wireless phones using technology from Kineto Wireless. The phones willl be able to pass calls from a cellular network to a Wi-Fi network without an interuption in the connection.
