Hurray! Vodafone sued for VoIP blocking!

Truphone, a VoIP service provider, has filed a lawsuit against Vodafone, one of Europe’s biggest mobile carrier for blocking access to VoIP features in cellphones such as the Nokia N95. Last month the Internet has been full of complaints from users of Vodafone and Orange after discovering that their N95 handsets been crippled, making it difficult for users to make cheap calls at Wi-Fi hotspots. I personally was amazed by the arrogance and the narrowminded marketing signals these carriers send out. Crippling internet- and/or service access is suicide in the long run for any internet provider. James Tagg chief executive of Truphone stated “We believe Vodafone’s stance is not lawful, and we are considering our position” and argues that the blocking of competing websites as well as disabling Internet telephony on handsets is against E.U. competition regulations. “The operator has a monopoly on the line into your pocket” suggesting Voso it is not allowed to lock down services and create walled gardens. “There is lots and lots of case law that has been fought out on the PC” he said referring to Microsoft’s desktop monopoly. Vodafone is breaking telecom regulations when refusing to connect calls to Truphone’s range of mobile numbers. Truphone has a ranged of numbers which functions in the same way of an “traditional” mobile operator, able to revieve calls, SMS messages etc. Today Vodafone customers will simply find calls to these numbers are blocked, whether they are made over WiFi or the Vodafone network, says Tagg. Vodafone argues that they have disabled Internet telephony for consumer’s protection (yes redicoulous I know). They’ve stated “Vodafone believes that VOIP-over-mobile is not yet a mature service proposition as it does not have guaranteed quality of service, and would fall short of the customer experience demanded of any service we launch. To ensure a solid end-to-end customer experience, this service would require in-depth testing, billing integration and customer service support which is currently not available. There is also a misleading perception that VOIP services are ‘free.’ This is not the case when it comes to using VOIP over mobile where customers will need to use data connectivity to establish a service. By doing this, there is a risk that customers could incur unnecessary charges when competitive mobile tariffs are likely to be a more cost-effective choice.” Vodafone earlier stated “Customers can download VOIP applications if they choose to do so or can use VOIP services via a laptop and data card”. Tagg however argues that Vodafone’s solution using alternative SIP stacks could mean shorter battery life. “They’ve spent two years and millions of pounds ensuring it’s integrated into the phone, and optimized for battery life” refering to Nokia. Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20070501/tc_pcworld/131425Â