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Skype plans to launch its own mobile phone in conjunction with 3 Mobile within the next month. The service will bring Skype calling to wireless devices, allowing you to place VoIP calls to your Skype buddies from your handset. This follows news earlier this week that Skype and 3 were working on a partnership to deliver free calling to the UK.
Similar to other mobile VoIP services, Skype’s phone will work by placing calls over your device’s data connection, in turning enabling you to call your Skype buddies over the Internet as opposed to over the carrier’s network. Thus, you still need to pay for a data plan, but are spared using up minutes on your voice plan.
The phone, code named “white phone,” will initially launch in Europe, Asia, and Australia, with no immediate plans for entry into the US market.
It has been a busy couple weeks for Skype, with the announcement that founder and CEO Niklas Zennstrom is leaving the company, a major write-down from eBay, and a partnership to bring the service to MySpace’s instant messaging service.