Skype is already on Windows Mobile devices, although I was never able to get it to work on my Windows Mobile phone. Skype has been available indirectly on the iPhone through a couple of third party apps. Currently I use Truphone (instead of Skype) on the iPod Touch and have saved quite a bit on international calls accordingly.

The recent conventional wisdom from "The Street" has been that eBay dramatically overpaid for Skype and that it was a dog, failing to live up to its much-hyped potential. But more recently Skype's potential long-term value has started to emerge. And mobile is a key growth area.

Om Malik is reporting a tip that Skype will announce an iPhone client next week at CTIA. There would be a lot of eager users both of the IM and of the voice services. And as more non-phone MIDs proliferate more people will use VoIP (a la my example above) to convert those devices into phones. 

Ultimately a data/IP connection will be more important to users than a voice account. The carriers see some of the writing on the wall and have turned a cold should to Skype, which has made overtures to work with them. 

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Related: Alltel expands "my circle" voice plans to allow more numbers, 15 or 25 wireless or landline phones depending on the plan. In the context of Boost's, MetroPCS and T-Mobile's discounting of unlimited calls and data, this move is aimed at retention. 

Alltel is now part of Verizon.