Cellcos Feeling the heat as iPhone Skype got 1 million downloads

by MJK on April 7, 2009

As earlier reported by TechNama about the launch of iPhone Skype application, it has got 1 million downloads in just two days of its launch. This is a new record for any such application. The news has already set alarm bells in the cellcos who are taking this news as a direct attack on their core voice business. Since the iPhone Skype application uses Wifi networks, the possibility of WiMAX contributing to this unique mix is not a distant possibility. According to Telecom Online Magazine,
“This wave of user enthusiasm is likely to have more impact in changing operators’ minds than any advocacy groups, but the Free Press is trying to get legal clarity in the US too. It called on the FCC to require wireless carriers to allow consumers access to Skype via smartphones, as well as the ability to connect their devices to the internet through tethering applications on their cellphones.

This has been another source of cellco unease, which hit the spotlight again recently when Google was reported to have banned a tethering app from Android Market, perhaps to assuage T-Mobile USA. Free Press also cites reports that AT&T may seek to block Skype, despite its recent comments about being cautiously open to the app.

Its letter says: “Recent reports about application blocking again raise these questions. Regardless of whether any particular incident would be found in violation of the law, the lingering uncertainty surrounding consumer rights on the internet indicates the need for the Commission to clarify its rules. To resolve any alleged ambiguity raised by parties in earlier proceedings, the Commission should confirm that the Internet Policy Statement applies to wireless service providers that offer broadband internet access service, as has been acknowledged in prior proceedings and statements of sitting Commissioners.”