Original Skype for iPhone

GigaOM reports that an iPhone version of Skype may be released as soon as next week, possibly at the CTIA Wireless trade show in Las Vegas.

A few months ago, I asked Skype CEO Josh Silverman when was he going to launch the iPhone version of the P2P voice and IM service that has now been downloaded more than 405 million times. He smiled and said, "Stay tuned." And so we did.

A tipster, a very reliable one, tells me that Skype is almost ready to launch that iPhone version, perhaps as soon as next week. CTIA Wireless, a large mobile industry trade event, kicks off in Las Vegas next Wednesday, so perhaps the announcement will be made there. I am working on getting more details, as well as screenshots of the service.

For now we can use Fring, which is free and works just fine.