In a sign of the increasing popularity of VoIP phone service, Skype announced a distribution deal with the giant Wal-Mart chain of stores this week.
Under the agreement, the voice communications area of 1,800 Wal-Mart stores in the U.S. will carry Skype-certified hardware, including headsets, webcams, and handsets designed to work with Skype, the popular Internet phone service provider. Wal-Mart will also now carry the first line of pre-paid calling cards for Skype available in the U.S.
Up to nine different Skype-Certified hardware products are now available within the Skype Internet Communications sections at Wal-Mart stores’ electronics department. The selection includes Skype certified headsets for less than $15, webcams less than $25 and handsets less than $30 from brand names such as Plantronics, Philips, Logitech and others.
About 9.9 percent of all landlines in the U.S. were VoIP lines in 2006, but that figure is expected to rise to 34.1 percent by 2010, according to the Telecommunications Industry Association. VoIP pioneer and market leader Skype, an eBay company, said it has more than 196 million registered customers around the world.
Photo by Wal-Mart/Skype.
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