03 May 2007

Mobile operator's refusal to connect calls to VOIP numbers could be in violation of European competition regulations

Mobile operator Vodafone could face legal action over its efforts to cripple VOIP on mobile phones.

"We believe Vodafone's stance is not lawful,
and we are considering our position," said James Tagg chief executive
of Truphone. Vodafone is failing to meet interconnection obligations,
and blocking competing websites, he said, as well as disabling Internet
telephony on handsets.

Vodafone is refusing to connect calls to
Truphone's range of mobile numbers, Tagg says, in breach of telecoms
regulation. Truphone has a range of numbers with which it can function
as an actual mobile operator -- so that Truphone numbers appear in a
phone's call log, and can receive SMS messages. Unfortunately, Vodafone
customers will simply find that calls to those numbers are blocked,
whether they are made over WiFi or the Vodafone network, says Tagg.