Ebay-owned internet telephonic service Skype has clinched a deal with leading handset manufacturer Nokia, whereby the Finnish company will roll out handsets bundled with preloaded Skype software from the third quarter of this year.

The deal, which was announced at Global Mobile Congress in Barcelona will find Nokia install Skype in its N-series phone, kicking it off with the Nokia N-97.

Referring to the general apprehension amongst most mobile operators about Skype hampering their profits, Skype CEO Josh Silverman stated that mobile operators like 3 has witnessed a 20 percent rise in its average revenue, as they exploited Skype’s flat-rate data plans which increased the usage of 3’s other services.

Skype software can also be downloaded on mobile phones but the service will be less incorporated with other features such as address books, making it less user-friendly.

Since a while, Skype has been seen venturing into the mobile phone space, as it signed deals with operators like Hutchinson Whampao’s 3.

Skype was seized by online marketplace eBay for $4.3 billion in 2005 with the intention of boosting its PayPal online payments service.