Mobile VoIP champion Truphone, goes GSM

BEST KNOWN for pioneering VoIP calls from mobile phones over Wi-fi, Truphone has said it will purchase the business of SIM4travel.

What SIM4travel currently does is supply travellers with a custom SIM that enables the user to make low cost calls across Europe. Better still, you can receive calls while travelling in over 50 countries for free. [In Europe incoming normally calls cost the recipient when 'roaming'.]

All you need is an unlocked handset and to provide friends and colleagues with your SIM4travel UK telephone number when travelling abroad.

Truphone's motivation in acquiring SIM4travel's technology is clever. The latter possesses what is known as a Mobile Virtual Network Enabler (MVNE) platform.

In other words SIM4travel's SIMs appear as if they belong to a traditional mobile operator, when SIM4travel doesn't actually have a network of its own. But users can still 'roam' onto foreign networks.

This means that Truphone will eventually be able to supply its customers with a single SIM that enables then to get onto Truphone's VoIP based network or when that's not available, make low cost calls via GSM.

It will, of course, take some time for this integration to take place. Truphone didn't say, however, what happens if you try to make a GSM call in the UK with SIM4travel's system.

If it's possible, then Truphone becomes a true British MVNO. µ