"Niklas Zennstr�m made a name for himself as cofounder of the Kazaa peer-to-peer file sharing service. Now the entrepreneurial Swede hopes to make his latest venture, the Skype p-to-p voice service, a household brand. In recent weeks, the CEO of Luxembourg-based Skype Technologies has signed a string of deals with wireless handset manufacturers. Carrier Devices, for instance, has agreed to install proprietary Skype VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) software in its i-mate branded Pocket PC phones with Wi-Fi capability. Motorola (Profile, Products, Articles) is also on board to integrate Skype software into a number of its new wireless devices. Another big-name manufacturer on the list is Siemens (Profile, Products, Articles).

In a crowded booth at Cebit with music blaring in the background, soft-spoken Zennstr�m fielded a number of questions from IDG News Service. Contrary to reported customer complaints about call latency, failed connections, and voice quality with Skype, Zennstr�m said the VoIP offering is much better than traditional phone service. Don't expect this shrewd businessman to knock his own service in free editorial space. Zennstr�m takes pride in boasting that his company is adding millions of customers without paying a cent on large advertising campaigns."