Skype, Boingo Combine To Create 'Skype Zones'

Wi-Fi aggregator Boingo and VoIP vendor Skype Tuesday announced they were combining their two technologies, enabling Skype's voice callers to use Boingo's hotspots to make calls.

Skype boasts of more than 45 million users and Boingo has about 18,000 Wi-Fi hotspots worldwide. Under the new arrangement, Skype users can get unlimited access for calls to Boingo's hotspots for $7.95 a month, the companies said in a statement.

The service is powered by beta version of Boingo's software tuned specifically to work with Skype, the companies said. The software that includes connection management and roaming authentication capabilities, the companies said. The software is available for Windows-based computers, according to Boingo.

The companies said in a statement that their intent was to change the communications landscape -- to their benefit.

"Affordable broadband access is fundamental to open communications, and partnering with Boingo to deliver unlimited Skype access around the world at such a compelling price point will generate new customers for both companies," Niklas Zennstrom, Skype's CEO, said in a statement.While not as extensive, Boingo late last year agreed to a co-marketing arrangement with a Skype competitor, Vonage.