Skype Aims To Own The Mobile VoIP Market

Skype isn't content to own the PC-based VoIP market -- now it has its eyes set on your mobile phone as well. A buyout of two startups specializing in mobile VoIP makes clear that Skype aims to dominate that market. Skype is buying Sonorit Holding and its U.S. subsidiary, Camino Networks. It's not buying those companies for their products or their customers. It's buying their expertise. Staffs from the two companies will work on future versions of Skype.

Skype has done a pretty good job of development, so far, and can easily hire as many new programmers as it needs. So why buy these companies?

It's simple: They specialize in VoIP and mobile networks. And that's increasingly one of Skype's main focuses.

Skype has already announced Skype for the Pocket PC 2.0. In addition, the Skype client is preloaded on several mobile devices, including the HP iPAQ hw6900 series PDA. Skype is also working with Hutchinson 3 Group on the group's 3G networks which encompass 10 markets and over 11 million customers worldwide.

Need more evidence? Consider this: Skype owns the domain www.skypemobile.com. At the moment, the domain merely mimics Skype's main site. But the fact that Skype bought the domain means it has big plans -- and its recent acquisitions only back that up.