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AT&T to take a ‘fresh look’ at VoIP calling for the iPhone

Saturday, August 22, 2009 · 10:07 am · 22 Comments

“AT&T on Friday confirmed what many have suspected: Its partnership agreement with Apple requires Apple to block “VoIP,” or Internet telephony, on the iPhone,” Leslie Cauley reports for USA Today.

“In comments submitted to the Federal Communications Commission, AT&T, exclusive U.S. distributor of the iPhone, says it plans to take a ‘fresh look at possibly authorizing VoIP’ — or Voice over Internet Protocol — ‘capabilities on the iPhone for use on AT&T’s 3G network.’ AT&T added that it would ‘promptly update’ the FCC ‘regarding any such change,’” Cauley reports.

“Such a shift, if it happens, would be a boon for iPhone users. Right now, VoIP services are limited to Wi-Fi, and are not carried on AT&T’s cellular networks. As a result, iPhone users lose any VoIP connection as soon as they’re out of Wi-Fi range,” Cauley reports. “VoIP sends calls over the Internet, not traditional phone networks, enabling users to make free or cheap calls for as long as they want without draining cellphone minutes. That’s why consumers love it — but big carriers like AT&T don’t.”

Full article here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "Jack F" for the heads up.]

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Comment Feed

22 Comments

1 2 Next »

military macman

Saturday, August 22, 2009 - 10:30 am · Reply

I know Skype saved me mucho dinero when I was in Iraq. VoIP rocks!
Hm...

Saturday, August 22, 2009 - 10:58 am · Reply

AT&T will allow VoIP as soon as they figure out how to charge per packet.
neo

Saturday, August 22, 2009 - 11:00 am · Reply

I use VoIP in the business environment where we need two T1′s, DSL for backup, a router, VoIP handsets, and it’s $100 per month per seat. It’s more competitive than tradition POTS systems and more cost effective that yields more abilities.

When the government broke up the Phone Company monopolies its given us as American’s a lot of options and innovations. If it was still same ‘ole same ‘ole than Apple, RIM, Google wouldn’t of been able to produce some ground breaking technology for us as Americans to enjoy. Hell we would of still be paying outrages long distance fees and phone rental fees.
MacTony

Saturday, August 22, 2009 - 11:44 am · Reply

I’m not a big AT&T;fan, but how are carriers going to make money if they allow everyone to use VoIP over their network?
twilightmoon

Saturday, August 22, 2009 - 11:54 am · Reply

Neo,

Are you old enough to remember having to pay per minute for IN STATE “long distance” calls?
Bill Frame

Saturday, August 22, 2009 - 11:59 am · Reply

“how are carriers going to make money if they allow everyone to use VoIP over their network?”

Billing for data.
neo

Saturday, August 22, 2009 - 12:12 pm · Reply

When I was a kid I remember we had a system. Even within same area code there were long distance charges. I remember when I had to call my mom from my grandmas house I would ring mom once and then hang up. That was the signal to call me back. For some odd reason my mom had better long distance rates. Today this isn’t long distance at all. I remember in the 80s as a kid seeing ads for Party Lines. A cheap way to talk to other people. It was a shared line with a few dozen other people on it. I have no idea how people talked without shouting or overlapping on one another. And I was told that Phones you had to RENT them!!! You could not even own the phone. How crazy insane is that. Talk about un-american anti-competitive. I am extremely happy with all the options we have today.
Mormegil

Saturday, August 22, 2009 - 1:07 pm · Reply

@ military macman

Off topic – THANK YOU and WELCOME HOME (hopefully!)
lurker

Saturday, August 22, 2009 - 1:31 pm · Reply

It’s time for companies to understand what they are about. Networks are networks, user hardware is user hardware, user apps are user apps and content is content. Those who make or provide these things need to be true to their purpose. They need to stop trying to tie consumers of their primary product to them by bundling the network, hardware, apps and content together in ways that impede competition and innovation. The role of the regulators is simple: define the playing field and insure none of the elements bring the others down. Standards for interconnection need to be defined by regulators (really, did we need parallel CDMA and TDMA networks?).

So, networks make money by selling access to networks. Hardware manufacturers make money by selling hardware, etc, etc, etc. The distortions of bundling, hardware locking to networks, subsidized hardware and contract network access plans need to go. Data ARE data, let them run free, or at least free of long term obligations.
The Other Steve

Saturday, August 22, 2009 - 2:56 pm · Reply

“(ATT’s) partnership agreement with Apple requires Apple to block “VoIP,” or Internet telephony,”
—————————————————
“To that end, let me state unequivocally, AT&T;had no role in any decision by Apple to not accept the Google Voice application for inclusion in the Apple App Store. AT&T;was not asked about the matter by Apple at any time, nor did we offer any view one way or the other.”
–Jim Cicconi, AT&T;senior executive vice president, external and legislative affairs:
—————————————————
Legal truth,
actual and intentional lie!

. . . or am I missing something here?
GregoriusM

Saturday, August 22, 2009 - 2:59 pm · Reply

@twilightmoon

I’m old enough to remember paying per-minute long-distance rates to a town 5 minutes north of the city.

Heck, I’m old enough to remember party lines (do you all know they were?) in a rural town just 75 miles north of here. For reference, I am in Winnipeg, Canada which is just 75 miles north of the US/Canada border.

Yes, party lines where you pick up your phone and see if anyone of the 6 to 10 other people with phones on the same line were on. If so, you hung up. Some people (other people, of course) would often pick up the phone and listen in to others’ conversations. You could hear when someone else in another house picked up their phone and when they hung it up. Their scam was to see if anyone was on the phone, and if not, just keep listening until someone came on… that way the other person wouldn’t know they were listening.

Anyway, I digress. The landscape is changing, although at the rate of a snail.

As for Apple and Google, did anyone think Apple would change the landscape on much cheaper data plans? Did anyone think Google would come out with a free operating system to challenge the likes of Microsoft? Yes, times are a-changing.

We are moving toward data pipes just like ISPs are much different than they were 15 years ago. Again, it’s just going to be at a snail’s pace unless someone like Apple or Google decides to exert their fairly massive influence in much the same way Apple said “Do it this way” or you don’t get the iPhone.

Cheers!

Greg
GregoriusM

Saturday, August 22, 2009 - 3:00 pm · Reply

Oh yeah, and I want to reiterate: datas IS datas!
anthony007

Saturday, August 22, 2009 - 3:12 pm · Reply

My understanding is that google voice doesn’t use VOIP so I don’t know what the issue is. I got my GV number yesterday and used it to call long distance on my iphone and I wasn’t in a wifi zone.
Fat Basterd

Saturday, August 22, 2009 - 3:19 pm · Reply

We’re only renting our iPhones now as it is. How so, you say? We’re paying an elevated plan cost to “pay back” what is supposed to be a subsidy, but after two years those costs don’t go back down. Apple also gets a cut out of each monthly fee, and you can’t get out of having a data plan. And you aren’t “allowed” to take the iPhone to another carrier to get a cheaper plan or for better service. So yes… we are only renting our iPhones from Apple.
Gregg Thurman

Saturday, August 22, 2009 - 3:40 pm · Reply

In 200 Sprint announced that it would be transitioning its long distance billing system away from minutes used to amount of data put on their network. That transition never took place, but I think signaled what the industry wants to do, as everything piped over the telco’s networks is data and would complete the transition from an analog mentality to a digital one.

Should ATT allow VoIP calls they will just reduce the charge for minutes and increase the charge for data plans, effectively maintaining the status quo.

The industry’s reluctance to offer this earlier is in doing so they become nothing more than a pipe with coverage, speed and connection quality their only differentiation.

Right now no carrier wants to compete on these parameters, as no network offers the universal quality and speed of DSL service.

Rollout of the 700 Mhz spectrum will resolve that issue.
KingMel

Saturday, August 22, 2009 - 4:39 pm · Reply

@GregoriusM
My family was on a party line phone until I was in my teens. Fortunately it was only with one other party (old couple next door), but you had to pick up and listen on the handset before dialing. Yes, it was a rotary dial phone – they did exist a long, long time ago
Hg Wells

Saturday, August 22, 2009 - 4:46 pm · Reply

Get two empty cans (no sharp edges). Put a small hole in the bottom of each. Get a long string. Insert one end into hole on bottom of one can. Insert other end into bottom of other can. Tie knots inside. Hold one can. Have the person with whom you wish to converse hold the other can. Pull tight. Hold close to ear: Listen. Hold close to mouth: Talk.

AT&T;data charges: 1¢ for each ear use; 1.5¢ for each mouth use. Caution: String breakage not covered by maintenance plan.
silverhawk

Saturday, August 22, 2009 - 6:12 pm · Reply

Fat Basterd
Apple no longer gets a cut of monthly fees.
bobchr

Saturday, August 22, 2009 - 6:13 pm · Reply

@anthony007
The reason for Apples caution is that GV displaces the IPhone interface with the user. Access to your address book is co-opted by GV and transferred to Google servers. Sure they give you your own number, but you are talking about an app that really disrupts how the IPhone and the user interact. It even disrupts visual voice mail. As a user I would have serious privacy concerns. How is my data being used, is it safe and secure and what is Googles liability if my data falls into the wrong hands. Google is not immune from hackers.
Zune Tang®

Saturday, August 22, 2009 - 6:52 pm · Reply

MDN’s removal of a few posts in this news entry is disappointing. These were harmless, not as off-topic as many other MDN posts I’ve read and created myself, and I don’t suspect astroturfers were behind any of today’s comments.