Global IP Solutions has one big claim to fame in that it invented the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) iLBC codec standard. OK, you might not have heard of this if you are not a card carrying geek, but you have probably benefited from the iLBC codec.
This narrowband speech algorithm was designed specifically to allow for better quality voice calls across the Internet. As well as being employed within the VoIP technology of many Internet Service Providers, iLBC is also part of the iPhone itself.
Now GIPS VoiceEngine Mobile promises to enable Voice over IP for the iPhone. Third party developers will be able to include real-time voice, using the iPhone WiFi capability rather than the mobile telephone network connection, within their applications.
The possible options are almost endless, with business applications being perhaps the most obvious. However, given the popularity of gaming with iPhone application downloaders there is a great opportunity for in-game, multi-player chat for example.
"The popularity of the iPhone, along with the emergence of various applications and faster connectivity, makes it an ideal platform for developing applications that incorporate quality real-time VoIP, giving consumers real-world communication experiences" Emerick Woods, GIPS' Chief Executive Officer says.
"We are excited to enable the iPhone with VoIP capabilities and lead the mobile communications market with our voice processing technology" Woods continues, adding "With GIPS VoiceEngine Mobile, we are providing the capabilities that turn voice into IP packets so they can be transmitted via WiFi, making it easier for applications developers to come to market quickly with integrated VoIP applications."
It will be interesting to see how application developers end up adopting this particular technology. After all, the Apple iPhone SDK agreement specifically states that if an application requires or will have access to the carrier network, then that application may not have VoIP functionality.
