By Sharla Sikes

Nokia announced that it will offer eBay’s Skype service on its new N800 Internet Tablet.  Introduced in January at the Consumer Electronics Show, the new smart phone will depend on WiFi availability to use the VoIP service, and uses a Linux operating system instead of Windows Mobile.

“Skype is the recognized leader in internet calling, with more than 196 million registered users worldwide,” said Ari Virtanen, Nokia’s VP of Convergence Products, in a statement. “The Nokia N800 gives people easy access to the Internet and it’s a natural step that they will want to make Skype calls away from their desktop.”

The new Skype application is available for current users to download to their N800. The upgrade includes support for Adobe Flash 9 and larger memory cards.

Great news worldwide for mobile VoIP fans, but in the United States there’s a heated debate over what networks will support it.

The N800 isn’t a cell phone like the iPhone,  but it does allow WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.

Most mobile phone operators see the increasing push for Internet calling on mobile devices as a threat, but some are looking into ways to ride that wave and keep profits coming in.

“Our users are no longer just using Skype on their computer desktops,” said Eric Lagier, Skype’s head of business development for mobile. “With the growth of mobile devices and Wi-Fi, consumers expect to be connected wherever they are, at the office, at home or on the move.”

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