The Hutchison-Whampoa-owned company, which pioneered next-generation 3G technology in the UK, revealed yesterday at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona that it has started tests on Skype- enabled mobile phones. The service is expected to launch this year in countries including Britain and Italy.

Analysts said that the service — in which calls on Skype-enabled mobiles will be sent over the internet rather than over the traditional mobile phone network and charged as data — could have a radical impact on the mobile phone industry.

Although 3 insisted that calls will not be free, as they are between Skype-users on personal computers, they are likely to be offered as part of a flat-rate, unlimited data bundle.

The tie-up will give a huge boost to the use of Skype, which is already enjoying breakneck growth, by giving it access to Hutchison’s mobile users worldwide.

Five years ago mobile operators pinned their hope on 3G technology as providing the key to future growth, but 3G failed to take-off and today around 90 per cent of operator revenue in Western markets still comes from old-fashioned voice and text.

Niklas Zennstrom, chief executive of Skype, said: “This takes Skype beyond the PC and into the mobile world. I believe this will accelerate the adoption and use of Skype to new levels.”

Skype, which was brought last year by eBay, the internet giant, allows users to make calls for free. It generates revenues through its premium offerings such as making and receiving calls to and from landlines.

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