15 February 2007

Mobilkom Austria has launched a mobile voice-over-IP (VoIP) service under the name ‘A1 over IP’. The firm says it has been trialling the service with 2,000 test users and it is one of the first cellular operators in the world to launch a commercial mobile VoIP offering, which will enable users to make free internet telephony calls. Mobilkom will be going head-to-head with existing VoIP providers such as Skype, although the cellco says its own product has a number of advantages, including allowing the customer to use their normal mobile number for IP calls rather than using a dedicated IP-only number.

Boris Nemsic, CEO of Mobilkom and its parent Telekom Austria, commented: ‘The use of VoIP is one of the hottest trends at the moment,’ adding: ‘As innovation leader, we will actively co-shape the further development of this technology. The commercial launch of A1 over IP is the first step in this direction.’