[The Chosun Ilbo, February 26 2008] Skype Phones to Hit Offline Stores

Phones exclusively designed for Internet phone service Skype are to go on sale in offline stores after so far being sold only online. Auction, the Korean operator of the Skype phone service, said Monday it will sell Belkin Wi-Fi phones at 50 E-Mart stores in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province. Belkin's Wi-Fi phones have a software program needed for Skyping.

With the phone, people can use the Internet phone service anywhere worldwide where there is access to wireless LAN. The phones cost W160,000 (US$1=W947) each. Auction plans to sell them at more retail shops. A spokesman for Auction said that introducing the Skype mobile service to Korea would bring huge changes to the domestic telecommunication industry.