Everything you need to know about the Truphone mobile VoIP network launch

Being a mobile operator can be a tough game at the best of times. It’s an expensive service to run, and subscribers are flighty. It’s even more difficult for virtual network operators. These are mobile networks who don’t actually own their own cell towers and masts. They have to rent space from larger operators who own the infrastructure – and that adds a whole extra layer of expense and uncertainty. So it may surprise some today that mobile VoIP service Truphone is launching a mobile virtual network over Vodafone in the UK.

Who is Truphone?

Truphone is a mobile application that allows users to make VoIP calls – that is voice calls that go over the internet rather than traditional mobile networks. It’s a much cheaper way to make voice calls, but it requires a modern network capable of good data services. VoIP works over the internet, so you can make calls from your computer, but that’s not what Truphone does. Truphone is a pure-play mobile VoIP service. You download the Truphone application on to your mobile, and make VoIP calls through it. That the way the call is charged to your data plan rather than your voice plan – and often ends up being much cheaper. It also supports Instant Messaging, both internally and to other IM clients like GoogleTalk and Aim.

The really clever thing that Truphone launched is the Truphone gateway. Gateways are placed in countries so that people can ring them for the cost of a local or national call. This gateway allows users to make low cost calls over Truphone even when they don’t have a data connection. The user makes a local call to the gateway, and it patches the call the rest of the way through VoIP.

By combining this service with its own SIM cards, Truphone has created Truphone Local Anywhere – and this the service that is being launched as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO).

How will it work?

The deal with Vodafone will allow Truphone to deliver voice and data services to its Local Anywhere customers in the UK. What this means is that anyone with a Truphone SIM can make calls all over England for the cost of a local call. And for every additional country that Truphone has an operator partner in, that SIM will make calls for the cost of a local call. That’s why it’s called “Local Anywhere” – the idea is that with just a single SIM, you can go to any country in the world and have cheap calls. And even in countries where Truphone doesn’t have operator partners, Local Anywhere will try to offer big savings over normal roaming charges (presumably by using its already existing VoIP capabilities).

What we think?

It’s a cool service, but Vodafone UK is its first operator partner. So for the time being, Truphone SIM cards will only get you local cards in the UK – but still cheaper roaming calls than you would normally get from an operator.