Goodness know’s what’s going on with T-Mobile UK and Truphone…
Link: T-Mobile terminates Truphone | The Register
T-Mobile has stopped connecting its customers when they call someone using Truphone, saying the VoIP operator is overcharging for interconnection.
Instead, T-Mobile customers get a recorded announcement saying they must have misdialed.
It’s working perfectly fine for me. When I called SMS Text News reader Dan, a Truphone user, just a moment ago (that’s 7pm London time) the call was diverted nicely (he wasn’t in a WiFi area) and I was able to talk to him fine.
Before putting the call through, I got a recorded message letting me know that the call wasn’t part of my inclusive minutes.
In my humblest opinion, Truphone have done themselves no favours by a rather vaguely worded press statement. Here’s the deal, as far as I understand it.
Dan, myself, and many other Truphone users have 07624 prefixed numbers. These are O2 Manx, and onward routed to a third party partner (Tyntec quite possibly), who then pass the call to Truphone.
The issue Truphone seem to be having are with their Ofcom-allocated 07978 8xxxxx range (which was allocated to Software Cellular Network Limited, Truphone’s operating company, in May 2006). I’m not sure whether they’re allocating these to users yet (it’d be a bit silly to without full UK interconnect arrangements), but from what I can see as long as your Truphone number is not one of these you’ll be without problems.
I find it very pathetic of T-Mobile to play this game. I don’t live in the UK but what happend to the concept of free enterprise? If the blogshpere picks up on this like I think they are/will then TMO is going to get what’s coming to them. I also think that TruPhone has the perfect oppoutunity to really get their name out there with this fiasco. It’s pathetic what TMO is doing.
Blocking Truphone is like trying to cut all of Hydra’s heads. It’s not only Truphone which is offering VoIP over 3G and over Wifi. It’s also Fring, Wifimobile, Mobiboo, Yeigo, aql and thousands of other companies worldwide. In fact every SIP based VoIP provider can do a quite similar job like Truphone. It makes no difference if you install your SIP login data into a mobile phone or an ATA or a soft phone.