Skype on iPhone? Gotcha, Canada!

Yesterday, I put up a piece on how Skype has come to the iPhone platform. Thankfully, nobody here thought that it was an April Fool’s joke. But the good Canadian folks have to do without the service due to the complexity of licensing software in Canada. A spokesman for Skype addressed the issue:

There is a vague restriction in one of the standards-based technology licences and Skype is looking into it

Canada has had these issues before. It even had to wait a while to get the iPhone. Skype and iPhone are not the problem here. It’s the regulation in Canada. Many analysts are claiming that the wireless carriers in Canada are not ready to allow Skype get on the iPhone, while others claim lack of consumer interest as the reason Skype is not coming to Canada. Both claims have their shortcomings. Skype has been available on Windows Mobile devices in Canada before. So I am not sure the first argument is that valid.

Lack of consumer interest is another dubious claim. Skype is a global phenomenon, and I am sure Canadians do make International calls as well. I do believe that Skype will catch on in Canada, and it helps that Rogers Communications Inc has made no effort to “prevent” iPhone users from getting Skype. Maybe it just takes a little bit of time. Am I being too optimistic?