Andy Abramson writes that Hutchison/3, one of the leading mobile network operators in the UK and elsewhere, might be looking to partner with the a USA carrier to bring the SkypePhone to the United States.
This potential development correlates with my interview with Frank Meehan, where I asked Meehan if the SkypePhone might cross the pond.
He paused and answered by saying 3 wouldn’t be bring it over directly, but “if a U.S. carrier wanted to take a look at the phone and license it or work something out, weâd be open to that.”
When I posed the question, I asked whether 3 was in the US to work out deals or make an announcement, and he shyly said no. However, my suspicion is that this highly ranked GM from 3 wasn’t in San Francisco to merely make a showing at a conference, but rather to also seek partners or affiliates to spread the SkypePhone to the US market as well.
In my interview with Mr. Meehan, he pointed out how much time and R&D energy went into creating the 3 SkypePhone, and I can easily see a situation where they’d like to generate some revenue from the device by licensing or other revenue model.