VoIP Gateways Article

Dubai-based mobile satellite communications company Thuraya (News - Alert) Telecommunications Co. has launched a VoIP service called Thuraya Talk.

The service supports both text-based and voice communications. It also provides subscribers with dedicated phone numbers for incoming and outgoing calls.

The Thuraya Talk app is now available for download from the App Store and Google (News - Alert) Play. It enables callers to reach other Thuraya satellite phones or any destination globally. The company says this service “is ideal for users who call Thurya numbers and offers them savings of up to 60 percent.”

The company already has made public its plans to evolve the service over time. Starting early next year Thuraya expects to introduce simultaneous voice and data on its satellite network. And it plans to position Thuraya Talk for use in maritime applications.

“Optimized for efficient bandwidth usage, Thuraya Talk can be used as a convenient add-on solution to any Thuraya broadband terminal,” the company says. “By connecting the VoIP Gate adapter to the terminal, the customer will be able to use any analog phone to make and receive VoIP calls for operational purposes.”

There are many over-the-top mobile VoIP applications, of course. But most of them are delivered by software startups or unified communications solution providers, as opposed to satellite companies.

In a recent interview with me, Chris Carabello (News - Alert), senior director of product marketing for Metaswitch Networks, says that over-the-top mobile clients also provide a different experience than does a native dialer. And they supply VoIP as opposed to cellular voice connections, he adds, which can be less reliable. Additionally, he says, OTT clients don’t effectively manage cellular phone users’ separate personal and professional lives.

As for the mobile clients offered by UC companies, Carabello says those solutions can deliver less than ideal results as well. And he suggests a better way is to arm cellular network operators, which already have established relationships with businesses and consumers, with the technology to introduce mobile-centric UC offerings. This is similar to the model BroadSoft (News - Alert), which Cisco recently announced plans to acquire, has been using for many years.