LONDON-Skype is testing a free service that allows users to send text messages to any GSM handset, the Voice over Internet Protocol provider said Thursday.
The new offering lets users send messages from Skype Chat to GSM subscribers via a gateway powered by Connectotel, a London-based software developer. Users initiate a chat with a Skype user dubbed “smsgateway,” then enter the message to be delivered to a phone.
Earlier this year, Connectotel launched “SMS to Skype,” which delivers text messages from GSM phones to Skype users.
“The current private beta testers have already shown enormous enthusiasm for being able to send SMS text messages from Skype Chat using this new service,” said Marcus Williamson, managing director of Connectotel. “Now we are opening up the service to a wider public.”
