The U.S. telecom operator AT & T has announced that applications for Internet telephony (VoIP) installed on Apple's iPhone could now work on its 3G network. So far telephony software free or cheap as Skype, owned by Ebay, could not run on the iPhone with a Wi-Fi, which severely limits their scope. The Wi-Fi, less common than cellular networks for mobile operators, is mainly present in stations, airports and tourist sites.
Operators will protect
By banning Internet calls from their mobile networks, as in French, the telcos are trying to protect themselves from the competition offers unlimited free software like Skype or Google Voice which makes the anachronistic concept of communications packages. AT & T said Apple had informed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the regulatory authority for communications across the Atlantic for its decision. Last August, the FCC opened an inquiry into the rejection of the Google Voice Shop online AppStore from Apple, while the U.S. Senate questioned the exclusive ties between operators and manufacturers mobile phones.