eBay-owend Skype and 3, a mobile operator, have launched a new handset that lets users make free Skype to Skype calls and send free Skype instant messages from mobile phones to other Skype users. The 3 Skypephone is a fully-featured 3G Internet phone with Skype built-in. In addition to Skype calls the phone makes conventional calls and can be used to access 3's broad range of other internet services. According to the companies, this is the first time an operator has offered a mass-market device tailor-made for free calling over the Internet from a mobile.

The handset was developed by Skype and 3 in partnership with Qualcomm, using Qualcomm's BREW platform to enable Skype to work with core handset features such as address book and messaging. The 3 Skypephone will be available this year in the UK, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland, Macau and Sweden.