[3g-g]

The Open Mobile Terminal Alliance, a mobile-phone industry body which counts Orange, Vodafone, T-Mobile and 3 amongst its membership, has published guidance for network operators and handset manufacturers on provisioning and maintaining VoIP settings on new handsets.

The document only covers VoIP clients pre-installed on handsets, such as that used by Truphone, as opposed to applications which are downloaded later, such as Fring or Vyke.

According to the OMTP specifications, operators are entitled to remove or lock down VoIP applications on subsidised handsets, but they must provide the ability to remove that lock when the contract period expires, just as they now will release a handset to be used on another network (the SIM lock).

It must also be clear to users that the capability has been locked. So the removal of menu items, in the way that Vodafone and Orange crippled their N95 variants, wouldn't be allowed. Users selecting a locked option should he informed that the operator has disabled the function.

The document specifies around 15 functional requirements, though members aren't bound to conform to all, or indeed any, of them. But as so many network operators were involved in writing the thing, it's hoped they'll pay more than a passing interest.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/06/28/omtp_rules_on_voip/

[Hands0n]

Surely this is going to be seen a hugely uncompetitive - the mobile operators will, in effect, be crushing the VoIP providers out of existence. That simply cannot be in conformance with or acceptable to EU trading regulations.

So, if I buy a contract with a VoIP-equipped handset then the likes of Vodafone et. al. are quite legitimately entitled to cripple it so that - for the life of the contract - I am not able to use the handset for VoIP over my WLAN/Internet? And they can get away with this simply by stating at the outset that they are supplying a crippled handset? Well, thats all fine and dandy - but how are TruPhone and others supposed to make a living?

I somehow doubt the legality of such a Cartel-like manouvre by the mobile operators.

[Darob]

why block Voip?? the providers still get paid for the phones they supply through contract fees and dont loose out with call charges. They just charge for data instead

[Ben]

Indeed, why block anything. Charge realistic prices!

[Hands0n]

I can, to a point, understand blocking VoIP across the 3G network. But for the life of me I can see absolutely no good reason why the mobile operators are blocking the application wholesale so that it cannot be used across WLANs which are none of the mobops business at all.

They may argue that they are losing voice minutes but that is complete tosh. If they have not priced the subsidy appropriate to the contract then more the fool them.

For example - in my own personal case - I have a crippled Nokia N95 from Vodafone. The VoIP client is made inoperative. But, I have paid them up front for the handset - and the balance is through subsidy through the contract. There is equity. So what they think they might lose if I use "my" handset across "my" WLAN is beyond any reasonable understanding.

I actually feel quite aggrieved against Vodafone for doing this to the N95 - so much so that I will, in due course, change its product code and re-enable the VoIP client through Nokia Software Updater just as a matter of course. Not that I have any particular intention of using the VoIP - just on principle that I want the entire product that I am paying for.

Should Vodafone, and the others, really be thinking about pi55ing off their Customer? The control-freakery of the mobops is getting tedious, to be entirely polite.