Skype announced today the availability of Skype on three Sony Ericsson smartphones based on the Symbian platform, the world’s most popular smartphone platform. Users of Sony Ericsson’s flagship smartphones Satio™, Vivaz™ and Vivaz™ pro can now use Skype on the move, over either a WiFi or mobile data connection (3G, GPRS, EDGE). It can be downloaded now by visiting skype.com/m on a compatible handset, and will also be made available on the Sony Ericsson Play Now™ arena (https://www.playnow-arena.com) later this month.

Skype for Symbian enables users to:

* Make free Skype-to-Skype calls to other Skype users anywhere in the world*
* Save money on calls and texts (SMS) to phones abroad.
* Send and receive instant messages to and from individuals or groups
* Share pictures, videos and other files.
* Receive calls to their existing online number
* See when Skype contacts are online and available to call or IM
* Easily import names and numbers from the phone’s address book

Skype for Symbian will run on any Sony Ericsson smartphone using Symbian ^1, the latest version of the Symbian platform.

“Applications for communication and social networking are incredibly popular with mobile users. The opportunity to use a world-class app like Skype, in combination with the excellent applications and capabilities we have already integrated into our Satio™, Vivaz™ and Vivaz™ pro devices, will make up a compelling package to our customers,” said Kristian Tear, Executive Vice President and Head of Sales and Marketing at Sony Ericsson.

Russ Shaw, General Manager, Mobile at Skype said, “We see a huge demand for Skype on mobile. The users want to keep in contact with the people that are important to them without worrying about the cost, distance or whether they are away from a computer. It is our goal to meet this demand and make Skype available on a wide range of mobile devices by entering relationships with operators and handset manufacturers. Just a few weeks ago we have announced Skype for Symbian. Now, we are very pleased to bring it to Sony Ericsson smartphones and enable more people to take the Skype features they love with them on the move.”