Skype and Yahoo To Launch Mobile Network?

Jason Jones: Business Week says "industry insiders" report that Skype may partner with Yahoo to develop a mobile network.  I imagine this would be a hybrid 3G/Wifi/VOIP network.  Skype could combine its enormous VOIP user base and with Yahoo Messenger's large user base to up-sell wireless phone and broadband service. They could effectively bypass the broadband providers to connect directly to some of their end users.

Yahoo typically tries to be a neutral force with its partners but this development would put it in direct competition with its broadband partners. So wouldn't Yahoo!'s partners be pissed? Maybe Yahoo would make this move because they think their broadband partnership contracts are at risk?  Maybe they would do it because they could partially insulate themselves from the network neutrality quality of service issue. 

More broadly, the industry's messaging partnerships continue to get even more confusing--and ineffective.  Google and Earthlink have joined forced to launch municipal wifi networks.  Microsoft and Yahoo announced an instant messenger interoperability partnership in October 2005 and then Google and AOL announced a similar partnership in December 2005.  Will any of these partnerships ever launch? I continue to believe that the IM and VOIP clients are one in the same. 

Skype has remained uncommitted to the YHOO/MSFT camp or the GOOG/AOL camp, and is therefore in a strong negotiating position.    If Skype chooses to work with Yahoo on this project, it effectively aligns with Yahoo and Microsoft and deepens its relationship with Yahoo.  Skype's existing partnership agreements already agrees that Yahoo will sell Ebay inventory, Yahoo will use PayPal, and Ebay will include Yahoo features in its toolbar.  In addition, Yahoo Messenger and Skype already have a partnership to work on 'click-to-call' functionality.