Skype video calling coming to ATT

Skype confirmed at CES that video calling was headed to Verizon Wireless and 4G LTE handsets in the upcoming year. On Friday, the company confirmed that it is negotiating with ATT to bring Skype video calling to the carrier HSPA+ network. Currently, Skype has worked with Verizon Wireless and Skype partner Qik has deals with T-Mobile and Sprint. ATT is the only major US carrier without a video calling product on the table. When discussing ATT, Skype Head of Consumer Product Management, Rick Osterloh said, "Lets watch out for some announcements there."

Other entrants in the video calling circle include FaceTime from Apple, Fring, and Tango. While voice quality may be acceptable, the ability to do mobile video calling is highly dependent upon network performance, with most 3G networks unable to deliver a smooth call. This limitation is one of the reasons Apple limited FaceTime to a WiFi-only experience. With the growth of 4G networks such as Verizon LTE, Sprint WiMAX and T-Mobile HSPA+, smooth video calling is one step closer to reality. Once Skype mobile video calling rolls out to 4G handsets, it will interesting to see how well it performs when compared to its competitors. It will be a whole different playing field once these Skype-enabled handsets starting landing on wireless networks with speeds of up to 21 Mbps.