The rush of VoIP applications to smartphones continues with the release of Skype for Nokia's Symbian phones.
Nokia and Skype jointly announced that the app is now available in Nokia's Ovi Store. It'll work on EDGE, 3G or GPRS connections, in addition to Wi-Fi. Skype lets you place phone calls using mobile data instead of voice minutes. Calls are free to other Skype users, and you can buy credits or an unlimited monthly plan to call telephone numbers.
Skype will work on any Nokia phone using Symbian ^1 -- the latest version of the mobile operating system -- including the flagship N97 and even phones without touch screens. More information about supported phones is here. Nokia recommends that you have an unlimited data plan, given that Skype calls can suck up a lot of bandwidth.
The announcement follows a pair of big developments on VoIP for smartphones. Last month, Verizon Wireless announced a partnership with Skype that lets users place Skype calls over Verizon's voice network to Skype's VoIP servers. This allows for free Skype-to-Skype calls and cheap international rates without taxing Verizon's data network. And in January, AT&T finally opened up its data network to VoIP calls. Several iPhone apps, such as iCall, have taken advantage, but Skype has yet to release an update for the iPhone that allows 3G calls, for reasons unexplained.
Nokia's announcement may not have much of an impact in the United States, where its presence is minor due to the lack of partnerships with wireless carriers. But as the world's biggest handset maker, supporting Skype over 3G is big news, especially for Skype, which has been growing rapidly.
