Skype wifi handsets are coming... soon

VoIP firm Skype, has announced a collaboration with four manufacturers to launch Skype-enabled wifi handsets.

The phones by Belkin, Edge-Core, Netgear, and SMC (Standard Microsystems), will give consumers access to the Skype network from any hotspot and will be available on the firm’s website later this quarter.

Each model will have the familiar desktop interface embedded into its design and will automatically synchronise a user to the correct account when in range of a hotspot.

“We want to give people the freedom to move around while talking, and have access to Skype wherever they are,” said Stefan Oberg, general manager for hardware at Skype.

According to a source at a mobile operator in the UK, Skype is looking at intensifying its focus on ordinary European consumers later this year by rolling out wifi phones through supermarkets in the larger European cities.

The company neither confirmed nor denied the claim.

Skype said the devices will support common wifi encryption protocols including WEP, WPA, and WPA2 with PSK support. According to Skype, the phones will retail at between $230 and $250.