At the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona  a strategic partnership between Nokia and Skype was announced. This joint venture will enable the development of a great mobile Skype experience that meets the needs of many users who are also Nokia customers. It will also bring Skype to new mobile users in both developed and emerging markets.

Later this year, Skype will be available in high-end Nokia Nseries devices running the Symbian S60 operating system, offering users pre-loaded out-of-the-box Skype calls, instant messages and more, via both 3G and WiFi. Skype will be deeply integrated into the device's address book, and calling using Skype will be very simple - it will be part of the phone's operating system, rather than a separate application, making it quicker and easier to start a Skype call or send an instant message.

Beginning in the third quarter of 2009, Skype will come pre-installed on new Nokia N97 devices, and existing N97 owners will also be able to get Skype functionality through a firmware update.

At first,  Skype will be available for consumers to download to their existing mobile devices. 

Secondly, steps are being taken to develop partnerships with mobile manufacturers to tightly integrate and pre-install Skype on their devices. 

Thirdly, Skype has started to work closely with mobile carriers to develop and deliver a great mobile Skype experience over their networks. 

Clearly, the mobile industry is at an inflection point. This year will see software and content owners, device manufacturers and mobile operators looking at more ways to work together.