Free Mobile VoIP Calls in 2006?

Nokia have stated that they plan to launch phones with built-in SIP clients in the first half of 2006. This would allow mobile users to make VoIP calls, potentially for free, depending on which VoIP service is used. Unfortunately for all of you Skype users, Skype uses a proprietary protocol, so you won’t be able to access your account.

In a move I think to appease the mobile networks, Nokia also said that users won’t be able to roam between a mobile network and a WLAN/VoIP network i.e. you won’t be able to switch between both types of networks and charging models whilst in-call.

This is a shame, as roaming is actually technically possible today. I guess at some point though, someone will launch a commercial roaming service, and operators will have to decide whether to bill only for the portion of the call conducted on their network, or to charge a fee for enabling the handover, regardless of whether it occurs when leaving or entering the mobile ‘zone’.

I’m hoping that when these services become available they are made compatible with models launching in Q1 like the N91 or the N80 which I’m planning on buying. Otherwise, I’ll have to defer my upgrade option even further.

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