Skype, Linksys Team Up For Cordless VoIP Handset

Skype Technologies and Linksys have teamed up to offer a $130 cordless handset that enables Skype users to make free VoIP calls.

The CIT200 phone will be available beginning next week, the firms said Tuesday. The agreement also brings together two major telecommunications companies, Cisco Systems, which owns Linksys, and eBay, which recently acquired Skype.

Called the Internet Telephony Kit, the cordless phone can free Skype users from being fettered to their computers by headsets, which most VoIP users currently use. The CIT200 handset includes a handset, a charger and a USB base station that plugs into a computer’s USB port.

The handset’s DECT wireless technology means the CIT200 can’t interfere with 2.4GHz phones or devices. Features supported by the CIT200 include call waiting, ring tones, intercom, speakerphone, intercom support, caller ID, and address book.