VoIP pioneer Skype has reported a phenomenal public response to the launch of its software for the iPhone on Tuesday, claiming that the software has been downloaded more than a million times in its first two days of availability. Writing on the company’s official blog, Skype’s Peter Parkes said that the 1 million downloads equated to about six downloads every second, and claimed that ‘Skype for iPhone’ was likely one of the fastest-downloaded iPhone apps ever. Parkes added that the company will provide a further update next week.

Meanwhile, the launch of the software has been less well received by mobile operators with reports that some are considering blocking Skype’s VoIP traffic over their networks. According to a Financial Times report yesterday, T-Mobile-owner Deutsche Telekom has threatened to block Skype iPhone traffic claiming it interferes with its data network, a claim disputed by Skype. T-Mobile is the exclusive iPhone operator in five European countries and on a non-exclusive basis in several others. The concerns have arisen despite the fact that the first version of the Skype iPhone software only works via Wi-Fi and not via mobile networks. Last month it was also reported that a deal between Skype and Nokia – announced at February’s GSMA Mobile World Congress – had angered UK operators Orange and O2. The VoIP firm and the world’s largest handset vendor announced plans to pre-install Skype into Nokia’s smartphones, but both operators had reportedly threatened to refuse to stock such devices.