Start-up brings Net telephony to cell phones

Communications start-up i2 Telecom International announced a new gadget that will allow cell phone users to make calls using voice-over-Internet Protocol technology.

The product, called InternetTalker MG-3, is expected to be released next month. Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology is a cheap, Net-based alternative to traditional telephone service.

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"Anyone with a cell phone can now take the power of our VoIP solutions with them and realize dramatic savings when making business and personal calls from anywhere to anywhere in the world," Rick Scherle, senior vice president for marketing at i2Telecom, said in a statement.

InternetTalker MG-3 essentially acts as a bridge between customers' cell phones and their existing landline and Internet connection. By calling into the phone line, consumers can establish a VoIP connection.

The product's Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) standards help it work with multiple cellular protocols including CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) and GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications).

More companies are starting to take an interest in bringing Internet telephony to portable devices like cell phones and PDAs (personal digital assistants). Skype Technologies last month released a test version of Net telephony software for handheld devices.

I don't get it

How does this work?
I suppose the answer lies in the mysterious "By calling into the phone line, consumers can establish a VoIP connection." But where are the big savings if you have to make a PSTN call to make a VoIP call?!

Looking at i2 Telecom's web site all I see is a Vonage clone that hasn't started operations yet and no mention of a cell offering.

[George Cole]

Vonage clone

http://www.analogstereo.com/chrysler_voyager_owners_manual.htm

[Garou]

Why

Cell phone plans are so cheap right now wahts the point. Nation wide plans on the lager carriers dont cost much more then the local ones it would be a waste of time to use a cell with voip.