Chris Gilmer , Sunday, November 20th, 2005

Skype VoiP is launching a Skype Starter kit nationwide this week at more then 3,000 RadioShack locations.

More than 3,000 RadioShack locations nationwide on Monday will begin offering the Skype Starter Kit, which includes the software that enables a customer to use Skype’s free computer-to-computer telephone service, a headset and 30 minutes of Skype’s premium service, with which a user can call a landline or cell phone, company executives said.

The move is an attempt by Skype, the world’s largest provider of voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, to introduce its service to mainstream America. Before this deal, U.S. consumers could only get Skype service by downloading the software from the Internet. “Skype has grown rapidly among early adopters, and this partnership with RadioShack will bring Skype to the mass market,” said Saul Klein, Skype’s vice president of global marketing.