One of the best deals already in the UK for next gen services comes from mobile operator 3.
I’m using their very cheap pay as you go data plan, and just picked up a second SIM before leaving London for my wife to use when we’re there in early 2008. While the news about 3 and Skype working together maybe old, this appears to be one more extension of the 3 Data sales effort, a market they, and many of the UK mobile operators seem to be pursuing very aggressively. My guess is this will somehow tie into the 3 XSeries platform, as there, users already have free Skype calls and voice mail, as well as other free use via Yahoo and Windows Live Messenger.
A poster in CarPhone Warehouse, perhaps the most informed chain of shops around, showed data card or date on handset options with 3, T-Mobile, Orange, Vodafone, Virgin and O2, so its not just 3 and T in the game.
With 3 offering data plans as low of 50p a day, 2.50 or 5 pounds a week or per month, Skype on a Data plan and on a phone is interesting, as Skype will drive data plans on handsets, and will be integrated onto certain 3 sold handsets. Currently agency client Truphone will run over the 3 network on Nokia handsets.
3 also offers a 15 pound per month “unlimited calling” bundle available to users on Pay As You Go plans.
So, let’ sum this up. For a visitor to the UK, for 20 pounds you can make all the international calls and have broadband access. At 44 dollars a month, that’s a great deal.