VoIP and Video calling on your iPhone
Until recently Apple iPhone users were accustomed to having their 3G based VoIP calls blocked. When trying to make a VoIP or video call, users were typically greeted by a message like ““Skype calls over the 3G network are currently not allowed due to contractual agreements”.
While Skype calls are still blocked, popular mobile messaging service Fring recently announced that 3G video & voice calls are now available on the iPhone in South Africa. This development is however not specific to South Africa, but rather governed by a decision from Apple which has updated the iPhone developer SDK to allow VoIP over cellular networks.
Vodacom on Friday confirmed that it “does not currently block VoIP on the Network, through any application.” One local iPhone 3G user provided MyBroadband with screenshots of a successful VoIP call from Cape Town to New York using Fring on a Skype account. He however is doubtful that this situation will continue.
“I suspect that SA operators will soon block these ports and this would be a very sad move considering that the authorities in the USA have now pressured Apple and the operators there not to do so,” he said. VoIP on the iPhone has been the source of many debates recently with companies such as Google being denied access to the platform, and the FCC inquiring as to the restrictions in the Apple App Store.
iPhone VoIP calls – comments and views
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