Skype wants in on wireless networks

There are a lot of things you can do with Skype. But if you want to use your unlimited data plan on your cell phone to make a Skype call, you're out of luck (that is, unless you don't mind breaking your end-user agreement). The folks at Skype, however, would like to see and end to that limitation. The company has filed a petition with the FCC to ask that VoIP restrictions over wireless data networks be lifted. Their reasoning? "Skype is asking that the so-called Carterfone rules (circa 1968) be applied to the wireless industry, which basically 'allowed consumers to hook any device up to the phone network, so long as it did not harm the network.'" We'll see if that holds any water circa 2007 but one's thing's for sure: the wireless carriers are going to fight this tooth and nail.

For more on the petition:
- see this Engadget article