Apple Yes to Vonage iPhone

Vonage today said that Apple has approved its iPhone VoIP app. The company doesn't have details of when it expects the software to reach the App Store but says it's already conducting a beta test of the software. It's expected that Internet calling will only work over Wi-Fi, however, due to policies from AT&T and some other carriers that bar VoIP on 3G due to lag and other claimed quality issues.

The approval hushes some early fears about the fate of Vonage on the iPhone and iPod touch based on the FCC's ongoing investigation into the rejection of the Google Voice app. While AT&T has made clear it doesn't yet allow VoIP calls and that a phone routing service like Google Voice is allowed, Apple has expressed concern over these apps both because of its uncertainty and because it wants to discourage replicating iPhone features like the built-in dialer and messaging apps.

VoIP has existed on the App Store for some time but has been limited mostly to services that don't usually have a real-world phone service, such as Skype. Vonage usually requires an adapter or router that bridges a traditional landline phone to the customer's existing Internet access and only allows calls between phone numbers, not online contacts.

By Electronista Staff

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iPhone, industry, software, Google, AT&T, FCC, Skype, iPhone apps, Vonage, mobile phones, Apple