The latest word on Skype for 3G is “soon” according to a blog post on its website today. You may have missed out last week, amid all the iPad hubbub, but Apple removed its restriction on VoIP calls on 3G with the release of its latest iPhone SDK.
The return of Skype to the iPhone is something we’ve not-so-patiently awaited since it was banned only a short time after being released last March, and it looks like we won’t have to wait much longer. And this time around, we’re hoping video chat isn’t far behind.
Since AT&T first banned Skype over 3g last April, with Apple following suit, iPhone users have only been able to make VoIP calls over WiFi.
According to a video interview with David Ponsford, project lead for Skype for iPhone, the move to 3G will provide “CD quality” when making Skype-to-Skype calls. Ponsford says that the new Skype app will also include a quality indicator, which will use a traffic light style notification to show network quality.
We also chatted with Peter Parkes, the social media communications lead at Skype, and asked him when we could reasonably expect video chat capabilities. He told us that he couldn’t be specific on any time-line or make any promises regarding video chat, but that “where devices can support video calls, we’ll look to develop video-capable apps.”
“But the focus will be on a great experience,” he said. “If all we can get is pixelated and low frame rate, we won’t release it. When it looks great – that’s when we’ll make it available.”
The interview with David Ponsford is included below.
