Netgear has started shipping its Wi-Fi Skype phone, which was unveiled at the CES trade show in January. 

The SPH101 is the first publicly announced device certified to make Skype Wi-Fi calls. It will be available in the US and Canada this week with a recommended retail price of $249.99.

Netgear anticipates that the handset will be available to buy in Europe by early October.

Vivek Pathela, vice president of product marketing at Netgear, said that the device would appeal to "die-hard Skype users worldwide who want to experience Skype in a truly mobile fashion without a PC".

"When Skype users use our phone, they will appreciate the extra effort we took to achieve an outstanding audio and visual experience. We believe they will find it has been worth the wait," added Pathela.

The SPH101 is the first publicly announced device to enable consumers to make unlimited free domestic and international calls to other Skype users over a wireless network without being tied to a computer.

The phone will work anywhere in the world where a user has a secured Wi-Fi network, or open access to a Wi-Fi network, providing that the access point does not require browser-based authentication.

"Voice over wireless Lan adoption is primed for a surge beyond enterprises and into the everyday lives of millions of global consumers looking for a cost-sensitive telephony solution," said Richard Webb, directing wireless analyst at Infonetics Research. 

Skype handsets using USB cables or a Wi-Fi connection have been available from a range of vendors including Taiwanese firms Wistron and Accton. But they all require software running on a computer.