At the 2010 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Verizon Wireless and Skype announced a strategic relationship that will bring Skype to the U.S. carrier?s smartphones next month.

The new Skype mobile product enhances Verizon Wireless smartphones for customers who have data plans by offering a new way to call around the globe, while also giving hundreds of millions of Skype users worldwide the opportunity to communicate with friends, family and business colleagues in the United States using Verizon Wireless.

?We have been working collaboratively with Skype for a good long time, looking for ways of creating value for our respective users?hundreds of millions of Skype users around the world and 90 million Verizon users in the U.S.,? said John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Verizon Wireless, Basking Ridge, NJ.

?An application that has been built collaboratively between Verizon Wireless and Skype that will allow Verzion customers to contact Skype users anywhere in the world,? he said. ?This is important, because it expands the number of people Verzion?s 90 million calling community can potentially be in contact with by 580 million people, and it expands Verizon?s smartphone portfolio.

?People who make a lot of international calls such as recent expats and people with families overseas?we will naturally attract a large share of those users onto our network.?

Verizon Wireless operates a wireless voice and 3G data network serving more than 91 million customers, making it the No. 1 carrier in the United States based on number of subscribers.

Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone. 

Skype is software that enables individuals and businesses use Skype to make free video and voice calls, send instant messages and share files with other Skype users. People also use Skype to make low-cost calls to landlines and mobile phones.

Skype mobile on Verizon Wireless
The two companies have created an exclusive Skype mobile offering for 3G smartphones.

Verizon Wireless 3G smartphone users with data plans can use Skype mobile to make and receive unlimited Skype-to-Skype voice calls to any Skype user around the globe on Verizon?s wireless network.

The Skype mobile application on Verizon Wireless will not be a VoIP service.

Skype mobile users can call international phone numbers at Skype Out calling rates. Verizon Wireless and Skype hinted that they have a revenue-sharing agreement in place for such premium services.

Skype mobile users can send and receive instant messages to other Skype users and remain always connected with the ability to see friends? online presence.

Initially, Skype mobile will be available on various Verizon Wireless 3G smartphones with data plans, including Research In Motion?s BlackBerry Storm 9530, Storm2 9550, Curve 8330, Curve 8530, 8830 World Edition and Tour 9630, as well as Android smarphones such as Droid by Motorola, Droid Eris by HTC and Motorola Devour.

Last year, Skype claims that it accounted for 12 percent of the total international calling volume, up from 8 percent the previous year.

?Skype users expect connectivity to function like the air they breathe, always there, always available no matter what device they?re using,? said Josh Silverman, CEO of Skype, Luxembourg. ?By working together with Verizon, we?re able to offer an experience that?s second to none.

?Users? address book suddenly becomes much more compelling, because they can see when contacts are available and ready to take a call and they can update their own status,? he said. ?They can suddenly launch a Skype call or Skype chat just as easily as they can make a voice call, and suddenly inbound becomes more possible because I?m not tethered to a PC anymore.

?We?re confident this is going to be an unparalleled experience and add great value to the 90 million Verizon customers?we recommend this as a great way to get a fantastic mobile Skype experience and we expect to grow the user base together.?