Skype Launches Its Voice Services Program

LUXEMBOURG - Skype, a global Internet communications company, which offers free phone calls to anyone with an Internet connection, announced the further development of its strategy, creating business opportunities for its community of developers and partners by launching its Voice Services Program for third party content providers.

The Skype Voice Services Program developed in partnership with companies like Tellme Networks enables any content provider, large or small, to become a part of Skype's new marketplace for either free or chargeable voice services. Content providers will join Skype's ecosystem of more than 400 Skype developers worldwide who are already offering hardware and software products to Skype's 53 million members.

Skype callers will pay for chargeable voice services from their Skype Credit account with a percentage of the fee going to the content provider who created the service. Content providers' voice services will be reviewed and the most popular will be deployed and listed on the Skype Web site. Details about how to submit applications and the fee structure will be announced later in September.