PROPRIETARY VOIP AND CHAT outfit Skype has been accused of nobbling Iphone and WinMo apps to pursue an exclusive US deal with Verizon.

Tech Dirt put together a timeline of Skype's 'VoIP over 3G' activity with telco partners and provided pretty compelling evidence that Skype isn't quite playing by the rules.

Last year, Skype's full VoIP over the 3G service was blocked by Apple and AT&T, but after pressure from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Skype released an Iphone update this January that still didn't use full VoIP over the 3G. After fingers pointed at Apple it unblocked VoIP over the 3G for Skype but Skype didn't develop an Iphone app.

Then in February at the Mobile World Congress, Verizon and Skype announced a joint partnership to provide VoIP over the 3G, which turned out to offer chat and control functionality but no voice service. Shortly afterwards, Skype quietly pulled its working VoIP client for Windows Mobile and still hasn't committed to offering a fully functional VoIP over 3G app for the Iphone despite all restrictions having been removed.

So let the speculation commence. On Verizon and Skype, Tech Dirt believes that the goal is to "upsell data plans to users who don't yet have one, and to drive or retain Minutes of Use of cellular voice traffic." Tech Dirt also claims that Skype is hanging back on doing Iphone development and pulled Win Mob so it could be in a stronger position to offer a premium paid for service in the future.

What's interesting is that Skype is always portrayed as a saint and not a sinner. Telcos and mobile manufacturers had traditionally denied access to Skype's service on their networks. µ