Georgina Prodhan from Reuters writes

Internet calling company Skype has secured a deal with Nokia under which the world’s biggest phone maker will preload Skype software into some of its new smartphones starting from the third quarter of this year.

Skype, whose technology has allowed legions of consumers to make practically free long-distance calls over the Internet on fixed lines, has been moving into the mobile arena with deals with operators such as Hutchison Whampoa’s 3.

“We believe that mobile is incredibly important to our future,” Skype Chief Executive Josh Silverman told Reuters in an interview at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the industry’s biggest gathering.

He said Nokia would install Skype in its high-end N-series phones, starting with the N-97. “The Nokia announcement is really a major milestone. When we partner with manufacturers we are able to deliver a superior experience,” Silverman said.

Skype software is also available to download onto mobile phones after they have been bought, but is then less integrated into features like address books, making it less convenient.

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