Mobile messaging provider Nimbuzz said Monday that it has been
asked by Skype to remove all of its Skype support, making Nimbuzz the
second third-party mobile client, after Fring, to get the hammer from
Skype.
"Skype's decision is unfair to its own and our users," Evert Jaap Lugt, chief executive of Nimbuzz said in a statement.
Skype, for its part, said it's keeping tighter rein over mobile-phone
clients than over desktop software. "Our APIs and SDK are designed for
third-party hardware and desktop software application development,"
Skype said in a statement.
Skype seems to be protecting the company's relationships with
specific mobile operators. "We only work with mobile operators and
handset manufacturers committed to delivering the best Skype user
experience, as we've shown with 3, Nokia, Verizon and, most recently,
KDDI," Skype's statement said.
Nimbuzz has another theory, one that Skype didn't support in its own
statement. "The move is understood to be in line with Skype's mandate to
disconnect with all third-party VoIP services ahead of its impending
IPO," Nimbuzz claims.
Skype's relationship with Verizon here in the U.S. initially kept the
Skype BlackBerry and Android clients from being available on any other
carrier, although Skype is also available for the iPhone on AT&T.
Recently Skype released a Wi-Fi-only version of its Android software for non-Verizon users.
On Skype's part, the company said it offered to discuss the issue
with Nimbuzz but haven't heard back from the other company since August.
There's no widely accepted standard for VoIP and video chat over
mobile phones. While there are many clients for the open SIP standard,
the proprietary Skype, Fring, Nimbuzz, Apple FaceTime and Line2 systems
all have their adherents. Apple has proposed FaceTime as an open
standard, but as yet, no other party has joined up.
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