Nokia adds free Skype app on Ovi store
- Added:
- Mar 05, 2010
Handset maker Nokia has made Skype available as a free download from its Ovi online store, allowing users tomake chaper or fee calls on their mobile via their web connection.
The two companies have also released a service for the Finnish company's Symbian-based smart phones, which will give users access to Skype via a mobile data connection, Nokia said.
The Skype for Symbian service allows users to make free Skype-to-Skype calls internationally, save money on regular international calls and to share files including pictures and video.
Luxembourg-based Skype, which is 30% owned by eBay Inc., has grown its footprint in the telecom industry as operators look to boost sales of expensive data plans to offset lower voice traffic.
Nokia said that the Skype for Symbian service is compatible with any Nokia device running the latest version of the mobile platform, including the N97 and E72 smartphones.
Skype will soon make the service available for other Symbian phones from vendors including Sony Ericsson, Nokia said.
Nokia has ramped up its service offering to boost its share of the growing smartphone market. Last year, it launched the online Ovi Store which allows users to download applications to their phones.
"We're seeing around 1.5 million downloads a day on Ovi Store now and believe that the Skype client for Nokia smartphones will have wide appeal to Symbian users," Jo Harlow, Nokia senior vice president for smartphones, said Wednesday.
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