| UK mobile network 3 (owned by Hutchison) has | | | | free calls on the move, as long as £10 is topped |
| recently released a new mobile phone, but not just any | | | | up per month on Pay As You Go. The service is |
| mobile phone. They have teamed up with the popular | | | | currently only available on their own bespoke handset |
| IP phone company Skype (owned by eBay) to provide | | | | with a large Skype button in the centre of the phone. |
| mobile subscribers free phone calls. | | | | The handset, that looks a lot like the SonyEricsson |
| This may seem foreign to the mobile phone market | | | | mobile phones has MP3 playing functions as well as a |
| where practically anything carried out on a mobile | | | | standard 2 mega pixel camera on the back. |
| phone is normally chargeable from Internet browsing to | | | | 3 have said that it isn't concerned with providing |
| text messaging. However a spokesman said: "The | | | | avenues for free calling as it is more about building |
| move marks a radical step forward in operator thinking | | | | brand awareness as well as creating a service that |
| and will mobilise internet calls for a mass market. It will | | | | customers trust and enjoy using. It's clear that 3 are |
| also close the gap between internet communications | | | | taking this initiative to heart with the wide range of |
| and mobile calling and is something you won't see from | | | | services they now offer on schemes such as their |
| any other operator." | | | | X-Series which includes the popular instant messaging |
| The move has sparked interest from both standard | | | | client Live Messenger by Microsoft as well as eBay |
| mobile phone users and the already enormous fan | | | | applications and now this Skype integration. |
| base of Skype alike. The Skype network makes | | | | The main selling point that the 3SkypePhone has is |
| phone calls between Skype users completely free, | | | | that it is a very cheap handset providing most of the |
| also offering calls to landlines for cheaper rates as well | | | | expected functionality of modern mobile phones but |
| as video calling. | | | | with this very appealing "free calls" function too. |
| The new phone from 3 enables Skype users to make | | | | |