But last year, you launched a new service, called SkypeOut, that allows users to pay for VoIP calls terminating in the public telephone network. IDGNS: Skype has attracted numerous users because it's free. We can't say today when we will launch this new product. We will integrate our software either into the cordless handset or the base station, which users can then connect directly to their router. So we are working together with a partner on a router-based product to reach out to a larger group. But, yes, some people don't like to have their machines running all day. Zennström: Many people like to keep their computers on most of the time, so connectivity isn't an issue with them. Are you looking at a product for these users? Some people don't want to have their machines running all day. IDGNS: But your computer must be running all the time. When you push a designated button on the handset, you can use Skype to make a VoIP call. But it also has a USB connection to your computer, which runs the Skype software. Zennström: You can connect the cordless phone to a normal socket and use it as a normal phone. Zennström takes pride in boasting that his company is adding millions of customers without paying a cent on large advertising campaigns. Don't expect this shrewd businessman to knock his own service in free editorial space. Contrary to reported customer complaints about call latency, failed connections, and voice quality with Skype, Zennström said the VoIP offering is much better than traditional phone service. In a crowded booth at Cebit with music blaring in the background, soft-spoken Zennström fielded a number of questions from IDG News Service. Another big-name manufacturer on the list is Siemens. Motorola is also on board to integrate Skype software into a number of its new wireless devices. Carrier Devices, for instance, has agreed to install proprietary Skype VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) software in its i-mate branded Pocket PC phones with Wi-Fi capability. In recent weeks, the CEO of Luxembourg-based Skype Technologies has signed a string of deals with wireless handset manufacturers. Now the entrepreneurial Swede hopes to make his latest venture, the Skype p-to-p voice service, a household brand. Niklas Zennström made a name for himself as cofounder of the Kazaa peer-to-peer file sharing service.
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