T-Mobile to block iPhone Skype use in Germany

Telcos.  You can’t live with them and you can’t use an iPhone without them. 

If you are a Tmobile iPhone customer and you are enjoying your Skype application, you might be in for some bad news.  Deutsche Telekom AG on Thursday said it may prevent its customers from using Skype on Apple Inc.’s iPhone.  Word is that Rogers in Canada might be trying to do the same.

Skype, a phone service that routes calls through the Internet and is owned by eBay Inc., made its debut on the iPhone on Tuesday. It allows most iPhone users connected to a wireless Internet network or third-generation cellular network to call other Skype users at no extra cost.

Skype’s iPhone application puts it in competition with cellular operators such as Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile and Telefónica SA’s O2 in Europe..

The article cites a TMobile spokesperson as saying: "…even using Skype at a Wi-Fi hot spot is a breach of contract."

If there is any possible way for them to do this, you can be sure that AT&T will try to do the same as well.  Apple has made it clear that it wants to allow VoIP on its devices so long as they aren’t using AT&T’s network.  That seems to be more than fair.  I’ve done a lengthy post on why the telcos are screwed because of VoIP here if you re interested.

What happened to that European fair competition regulation that forced France to allow every carrier in the country to carry the iPhone?  Oui Oui!  We hope they step in and allow Tmobile customers to use Skype.