Skype Wi-Fi comes to iPhone and iPad

Skype has released an iOS app that lets iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch customers use their Skype Credit to hook up to Wi-Fi hotspots around the world.

The Skype Wi-Fi service used to be known as Skype Access. Until now only available for PCs and Macs, the service sees Skype become an aggregator of other hotspot aggregators such BT Openzone and Orange, with which it has struck partnership deals.

"With the new Skype Wi-Fi app, you can go online on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch (running iOS 4.1 or above with multitasking) at over 1 million Wi-Fi hotspots around the world, including hotels, airports, train stations, convention centres, bars and restaurants," Skype Access product manager Shadi Mahassel wrote in a blog post on Wednesday.

Mahassel suggested the service, which provides one way to get around exorbitant mobile data-roaming costs, could be used by business travellers.

The fact that it uses credit on a per-minute basis obviates the need for buying an hourly or daily Wi-Fi voucher, he added. As the service is per-minute, there is no limit on the amount of data that can be uploaded or downloaded during active usage.

The app itself is free to download from iTunes. As for the Wi-Fi access prices, these start at 4p per minute, VAT-inclusive, although prices may vary depending on who the host operator is.