Fring on iPhone now lets you use Skype over 3G

Skype over the network rather than just Wi-Fi

28 January 2010 21:04 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Fring, the iPhone instant messaging app that lets you manage your Skype, MSN and AOL accounts on your iPhone has confirmed that users will now be able to make VoIP calls over the 3G network.

The move, which has been made possible due to a change in rules in the latest Apple iPhone SDK released on Thursday, could spell trouble for the operators as there is a potential for people to now bypass the need for making lucrative international calls as part of their call package.

AT&T in the US, for example bars new customers making such calls for the first 3 months of a new contract suggesting this could be the lifeline they are looking for to make calls on the cheap or for free.

Skype, however, has yet to announce that it will be offering 3G calling from within its dedicated app.

Fring says current users won't have to download any new software, however do state that if users are experiencing difficulties using the new feature that they should log out and then back in again.

Having the chat application running in the background, however, is still beyond the realms of what is capable for the iPhone unless users jailbreak the handset.

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Comments

Since when was Fring considered an 'iPhone app'? It's available on pretty much every mobile platform. Posted by GK, UK
Good point, well made. I've adjusted the headline to make it clearer. Posted by stuartmiles, United Kingdom
"Every mobile platform."*

*Excluding the gimped/backwards/aged Blackberry OS. Posted by OL, USA
Fring is great! So, I'm happy that it works on my iphone now :-)

Unfortunately my other favorite app for my mobile doesn't.
It's called qeep.
A nice java app to chat, game or share pictures have a look at
http://m.qeep.net/chat-rooms Posted by Tom, Germany
i always can not access to internet, even if i connected , but is very very slow, iphone 3G sucks, i really wanna sue iphone, anybody wanna sue iphone with me? apple lying Posted by Latest Mobile Phones, http://www.latest-mobilephones.com/
Voip over 3G is a hot topic and has been widely covered by numerous media over the last few months. Most major Voip operators like Skype request from the mobile operators the opening of 3G to voip, in the name of Net Neutrality.

My opinion is that journalists and bloggers relay too easily the idea that voip over 3G is already a viable solution. Have you tried using Skype over 3G in real mobility situation (train or car for example)? It is nearly impossible to have an acceptable quality call. 3G bandwidth is not uniform enough, doesn't have a good coverage and is often saturated. And most of the specialists know very well that voip isn't adapted to a mutualized, non guaranteed bandwidth. Actually, more and more articles talk about the saturation of 3G networks. But curiously, it's often the same journalists that then talk about voip over 3G.

Skype has signed agreements with 3 in the UK and Verizon in the US. Clients from these operators can place unlimited Skype to Skype calls. And those operators report a very successful collaboration. But did you know that it is NOT Voip over 3G? The Skype calls use the voice channel, like any other call. The reason for it is that Skype and the mobile operators know pretty well that their clients wouldn't be so impressed about the quality if the calls were made over 3G. The keyword is "User Experience". But Skype continues it's Voip over 3G lobbying (as I said earlier, it's a hot topic that guarantees media coverage).

I am convinced that the future of mobile voip will come from hybrid solutions, like those used by Skype themselves. The data channel will be used to manage presence, sending messages, etc.. and the voice channel for carrying the calls. We have developed such a solution. It is universal and works on most smartphones. We are specifically marketing the Skype application that we have named Mani-Sky. It is available at http://manisky.manifone.com. If you have a moment, you should try it, it's quite stunning. For more details, you can find a presentation here: http://manisky.manifone.com/pc/details.php? Posted by Lounis Goudjil, France