Four Vendors Hop on the Skype Band Wagon

 IT Wire

Four vendors - Belkin, Edge-Core, Netgear and SMC - have launched WiFi phones with an embedded Skype softphone enabling calls to be made from any WiFi hotspot to which users have access. Factor in Skype’s deal with global hotspot operator Boingo, announced last July and things could get really interesting.
According to Skype, the new WiFi phones are easy to use, come with everything built-in to connect to Skype via any personal, business or free public WiFi access point that does not require browser authentication.

“The phones are extremely easy to set-up and use with automatic synchronisation to a Skype account and contacts. The devices support common WiFi encryption protocols including WEP, WPA, and WPA2 with PSK support.”

However users will still need to be accredited for access to any hotspot they want to use, and this is where the agreement between Skype and Boingo could apply, although Skype did not mention this when it announced the new phones.