by Bruce Tyson

Created on: March 28, 2010

Now that Verizon has bowed to the inevitable and began allowing its subscribers to use Skype over its mobile data service, many people are wondering how Verizon customer can use Skype on their cell phone. The ability to use Skype on a mobile phone sounds mysterious, especially if you’re not very technical, but once you try it, you’ll be surprised at how easy this can be.

Background

Skype is a voice over IP (VoIP) communications service that people have been using for years. With Skype, you can call from one computer to another for free or you can call land-based lines from your computer for a small fee. Skype is particularly popular for international calling where using traditional phone service can be very expensive.

Now that data connections are available using mobile phones, it stands to reason that a VoIP should be possible: it is. The only problem is that cell phone providers such as Verizon make money when you talk more. By switching your voice calls to a service like Skype, the potential exists for carriers to experience a drop in revenue. Also, carriers worry that they do not have enough mobile data bandwidth in place to handle the additional demand created by Skype users. Verizon was the first to recognize that phones are becoming more for data than for voice anyway and decided to allow Skype use over its network.

Have the right phone

You can’t use Skype over Verizon with just any ol’ phone: you need to have either a Blackberry or Android-based phone that is capable of 3G data connections. If you are not sure whether your phone is capable of using Skype, the best thing to do is call Verizon customer service and find out from them.

Get Skype

To get Skype on your Verizon Blackberry or Android 3G phone, all you have to do is visit Skype at http://www.skype.com/mobile/skypemobile/?cm_mmc=m213 where you can enter your phone number. When you click the “Get Skype mobile” button, Skype will send a link to your mobile phone that will allow you to install their mobile version.

Another way to get Skype installed on your Verizon Wireless mobile phone is to use your phone’s Web browser to visit skype.com/m to download and install the Skype software.

Once this process is complete, you will see a new application available, Skype, which you can run on your phone as if it were any other program.

Enjoy

You now can enjoy using Skype. You can configure the various features according to your preferences, and you can now stay in touch with your Skype friends who call you while you are away from your computer. Minutes spent talking over Skype don’t count towards your plan’s minutes, although the data used counts toward your data plan.

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