AT&T to Allow iPhone VOIP on 3G Wireless Network

AT&T has announced that it is going to let iPhone users enable Voice over Internet Protocol applications like Skype, on its 3G wireless data network. Up until now, AT&T only allowed such applications to work on the iPhone over Wi-Fi connections, although users of other smartphones have always been able to use the 3G network for VOIP. This demonstrates how important iPhone subscribers are to the carrier, since AT&T makes less money on data bandwidth than on voice.

The decision also comes at a time when the FCC is looking closely at upcoming network neutrality legislation. It also comes days after Verizon's announcement that they will be offering a number of Android based phones, in which they said would allow Voice over Internet Protocol over their wireless data network. A couple of things should be pointed out. First, this is not connected to AT&Ts issues with Google Voice, as that service isn't VOIP, but really more like a simplified VRU service. Secondly, this move will not degrade the voice network, it is a separate network from the 3G data one. It may actually help the 2G voice network quality because it will offload some of the traffic to the 3G data network, which has higher capacity.

What does Apple say? "We are very happy that AT&T is now supporting VOIP applications," according to Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris. "We will be amending our developer agreements to get VOIP apps on the App Store and in customers' hands as soon as possible."