Industry news

Mobile phone VoIP 'still developing'

Mobile phones with VoIP telephony are still developing and will eventually arrive through consumer demand, an expert has said.

The Internet Telephony Services Providers' Association (ITSPA) said most mobile phone networks block VoIP capabilities, due to the competition the technology presents.

However, an organisation representative also said pressure from consumers because of high mobile phone costs could result in a solution.

ITSPA council member Colin Duffy said while phone companies are "ripping people off with costs, there will always be the opportunity for new technologies to have a go."

Research conducted by T Mobile suggests 42 per cent of small businesses think they are paying too much for their mobile communications plan.

VoIP allows people to make free or very low-cost calls over the internet, with users able to call any phone in the world and take a call from any phone in the world.

In 2006 around 1.8 million Internet users used VoIP with the only regular complaint being sound quality, according to Silicon.com.