Skype on your cell phone - finally

October 29, 2007 3:47 AM

Everyone and their dog have a mobile telephone nowadays, but it's not really an option for long-distance calls. Which is why it is exciting that you can now get Skype on a 3G HDSPA mobile phone. More importantly, it's available on pay-as-you-go, so no expensive contracts. More details and a video of the phone in use over on T3.
posted by SharQ (29 comments total)

As it happens, my dog gets free long distance on her mobile phone, so we're all set.
posted by mewithoutyou at 3:57 AM on October 29, 2007

It's interesting for sure but It's hardly revolutionary. I've had skype on my Nokia n95 for a few months now thanks to Fring.
posted by twistedonion at 3:58 AM on October 29, 2007 [1 favorite]

Yes, my dog has had free long distance on his mobile for nearly a decade now...before he was even born!
posted by miss tea at 4:42 AM on October 29, 2007

Cellular telephones "aren't really an option" for long-distance calls? Last time I checked they made long-distance calls just fine, even at reasonable prices.
posted by Captaintripps at 4:46 AM on October 29, 2007

Everyone and their dog have a mobile telephone nowadays, but it's not really an option for long-distance calls.

????????????
posted by caddis at 4:49 AM on October 29, 2007

As the Captain says. I always use my cell phone for long-distance calls.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 4:49 AM on October 29, 2007

You can use mobile phones for long distance/international calls just fine, but the call charges are horrendous. This is pretty cool, though.
posted by TheDonF at 4:51 AM on October 29, 2007

I always use my cell phone for long-distance calls.

Me too.
posted by R. Mutt at 4:57 AM on October 29, 2007

Neat, although as already commented, not very useful. Every phone plan that I've had for the last eight years has had free long-distance.
posted by octothorpe at 4:59 AM on October 29, 2007

i use mine for long distance, and it's free.
posted by quonsar at 5:00 AM on October 29, 2007

To clarify, this is a British offer aimed at British phone users, who normally get charged a hell of a lot for long-distance mobile calls.
posted by game warden to the events rhino at 5:05 AM on October 29, 2007

Sorry, long distance included in cell phone already.

This is way Pepsi Blue.
posted by 3.2.3 at 5:06 AM on October 29, 2007

You could use Skype on the GPRS network, and it's been available since at least 2006. You can also use it over Wi-Fi on your mobile phone, which bypasses the phone networks completely.

What is the difference between local and long distance in the US? It's been many, many years since there was a difference here in Norway. International calls are different, but the prices have gone down over the years.
posted by magnusbe at 5:08 AM on October 29, 2007

Aha. I didn't catch that this was for British users. So, my question is now about the difference in prices there. And also about how the telcos can argue that the prices should be higher for long distance in the UK.
posted by magnusbe at 5:09 AM on October 29, 2007

You can use mobile phones for long distance/international calls just fine, but the call charges are horrendous. This is pretty cool, though.

Is this a UK thing? With AT&T in the States, for a fixed charge of something like $4/month, I can call the UK for 8c/minute, which is actually less than I am paying on my home phone line ...
posted by kcds at 5:14 AM on October 29, 2007

My dog only uses his cel to terrorize the cat, and the cat is usually about 8 feet away, hiding under something like a loveseat or a desk.

My dog is a total dick.
posted by maryh at 5:20 AM on October 29, 2007

I learned today that I'm a nobody, and I'm not even good enough to be a dog.

Goodbye cruel world.
posted by Eekacat at 5:28 AM on October 29, 2007

Yeah - it's not long distance (that concept doesn't exist for UK mobiles) but for international calls.
posted by patricio at 5:31 AM on October 29, 2007

In this FPP, 'long distance' should equal 'international'. As with the US, in the UK long distance calls are non-local calls that remain in the country.

[In the UK, mobile numbers have their own codes (starting 07) but in the US, numbers are given by their local area (e.g. 415 for SFCA, 212 for NYNY) -- usually where the contract/phone was purchased.]
posted by i_cola at 5:32 AM on October 29, 2007

In the UK you can easily make international calls for 75p plus your normal rate. Is that horrendous?
posted by biffa at 5:35 AM on October 29, 2007

oh and BTW, is that last link to T3 a self-link considering SharQ works there? (see here, click on "new job")
posted by patricio at 5:35 AM on October 29, 2007

Yes.
posted by i_cola at 5:39 AM on October 29, 2007

This is actually more like the potential Telco-killer that some friends and I have been predicting since Google started going after that 700 Mhz bandwidth and rumors of a Google Phone started making the rounds.

Certainly, widespread adoption of Skype-enabled cell phones would be a kick in the pants to all of those industry 'Captains' that are uninterested in upgrading our infrastructure (that they'd continue to make money off of).

Or is it that they're waiting for the Chinese or some Europeans to do it for them?
posted by vhsiv at 5:48 AM on October 29, 2007

By Long Distance, i meant international calls, obviously... Or less obviously. Heh.
posted by SharQ at 6:17 AM on October 29, 2007

oh and BTW, is that last link to T3 a self-link considering SharQ works there? (see here, click on "new job")

Definitely.
posted by MrMoonPie at 6:21 AM on October 29, 2007

Uhmm - yes, I guess I should have pointed out that I do work for T3. Would it have been better to link to the Engadget post instead? (they just link on to T3...).

At the moment, the Skype website and the T3 website are the only two sources on this phone out there.
posted by SharQ at 6:29 AM on October 29, 2007

At least in Germany, carriers including Vodaphone prohibit or even block VoIP and Skype on their 3G data transfers. If that isn't the case in the UK already, I guess it will be soon...
posted by uncle harold at 6:30 AM on October 29, 2007

oh and BTW, is that last link to T3 a self-link considering SharQ works there?

Eponysterical.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 6:36 AM on October 29, 2007

Uncle Harold: Of course they won't block Skype on 3G / data transfers... This particular phone is a co-operation between Three - a mobile phone operator which shuns 2G, encouraging their users to use 3G / HDSPA instead - so Skype only makes sense. See the Wikipedia entry on Three for more info.
posted by SharQ at 6:37 AM on October 29, 2007