Another promising proposition is that you will be able to pay for Skype's service by the minute. This will serve as a welcome alternative to the often ridiculously high prices that Wi-Fi access commands at places like airports and hotels, where you often have to buy increments of 30 minutes or an hour. Have a wait of 45 minutes at the Paris airport? Then you have to pay for 60 minutes worth of Wi-Fi to stay connected the entire time. If you pay for 30 minutes, the service shuts off with little warning when your time is up. Aggravating is a polite way to describe the experience.

Skype says it will offer its pay-as-you-go service through Wi-Fi providers around the world. The providers include BT Openzone, Fon, M3 Connect, Row 44, Skyrove, Spectrum Interactive, Tomizone, and Vex.

All told, Skype says users can access the Internet by buying Skype credits at 500,000 hotspots around the world, including 500 airports, 30,000 hotels, and "numerous cafes, trains, planes, offices buildings, and convention centers." While Skype did not list the places in which its Wi-Fi service will be available, it mentioned the United Kingdom and Germany in Europe, as well as South Africa and South America--in addition to the United States, where Skype says it will bring its service out of beta testing.

It's unclear how ubiquitous the Skype service will become, but I look forward to using it is as an affordable alternative to smartphone roaming and Wi-Fi access charges when traveling abroad.

Bruce covers tech trends in the United States and Europe and tweets at .