Skype and wireless carriers have agreed to play nice, with users soon able to extend their Skype Credit while on the go.
Last year Skype built a partnership with direct operator billing firm Mach to enable users to purchase Skype Credit directly through their wireless bill.
Today that partnership is finally realized, starting in Russia, as users can now purchase Skype Credit directly through their wireless account or pre-paid account credit.
That feature will also come to North America before the end of the month, with Skype partnering with Payvia in the U.S. to offer direct carrier billing to users.
Cellular vs VoIP
Services like Skype have been seen as a thorn in the side of wireless carriers, offering VoIP and SMS messaging that competes with the carrier's own services.
It's unclear whether the option to charge Skype Credits directly through a wireless bill will help to quell those concerns, depending on how much of a cut carriers receive on each Skype Credit purchase.
While Skype and carriers duke it out behind the scenes, users will not have to deal with any of the drama. Skype Credit purchases through wireless carriers will cost the same as on the PC, making it relatively seamless for users.
According to Mach, the payment plan will be supported by "the main U.S. mobile operators," though no carriers were mentioned by name in the announcement.
Mach does list T-Mobile and Verizon among its customers through, so those two at least are expected to be on board when the service launches later this month.
Via Gigaom
