Is it already cheaper to make calls with mobile VoIP?
I wrote two posts about mobile VoIP applications on this blog. However, I feels that mobile VoIP is not really a cheaper alternative to normal mobile calls at this moment: mobile VoIP services based on callback mode are not cost efficient as operators have to pay for connects for both side; for mobile VoIP services based on wireless connections, I just doubt whether the bandwidth of GPRS/EDGE is enough while the coverage of 3G and WiFi is limited.
Yesterday, I was reading the news about of Talkonaut Symbian S60 release, I still didn’t take their claim that the new Talkonaut 4.0 can work with GPRS/EDGE serious. However, one friend told me that Fring had ready been able to work with GPRS/EDGE though there is some delay. Even though I was convinced as I thought the necessary traffic was quite costly. When I read from another blog that the the traffic of Fring is less then 100K per minutes, I was really surprised.
If it is true, the mobile VoIP is already much cheaper than traditional mobile service now. Now there are some MVNOs (Mobile Virtual NetworkOperator) providing quite cheap services for international calls. But by choosing correct wireless data plans, the mobile VoIP can be even cheaper. For example, subscribers of Tempo Music from Mobistar (Belgium) only have to pay 0.25 euro for each session (less than 1 hour or 1 MB traffic). If Fring or Talkonaut only uses less than 100KB traffic, it means users can talk to more than 10 minutes for 0.25 euro. And for users with “unlimited” data plan, the average price can be even cheaper.
The question is that whether mobile operators will block VoIP port to protect their profit. It seems to be very possible for SIP based VoIP applications. I am not sure whether Jingl extension of XMPP will be better.
I have a better hack. I use cellspin to leave msgs and communicate with my friends over the Internet. Thanks to the amazing simplicity, FREE software, and easy of use, I can communicate with them in real time. One minute, I’m posting pictures of my daughter to facebook while the other I’m responding, via video, to something my friends did on myspace. No need to use one or two supported phones. They support over 300 phones globally.