How fring aims to revive cell-phone video calling

Mobile voice-over IP (VoIP) provider fring beat Skype to the punch in introducing a wireless industry first this week. The company first enabled two-way video calls on several Nokia Symbian S60 devices last week and today introduced one-way (by virtue of the camera position) video calling on the iPhone and iPod Touch. Fring has proven to be a popular service for social networking-inspired communications over VoIP, and it is hoping to use its appeal to reinvigorate video calling on mobile as well.

Phones like the Nokia N97, 5800 and N95 have always allowed for two-way video calling, but the service never really took off. It was typically expensive and clunky, two aspects that fring's marketing communications manager Gil Regev said VoIP can solve. Nokia agrees too – having stated it is pinning its hopes on VoIP to resurrect the phone camera.

"Hopefully now that it's free over VoIP, peope will use it," Regev said. "Fring enables it on Skype, and those calls are already very popular. About 30% of their customers use video. Once you enable it on mobile, I am sure it will be popular."

Since it was launched in 2007, fring has focused on bringing social networking to mobile VoIP, Regev said. The service aggregates all of a user's social networks, including Facebook, Twitter and instant messaging, into one mobile buddy list. Distinctions on where the buddy list contacts come from becomes irrelevant, as they all are known as "fringsters." Users can call, chat and now video conference with any of their contacts that use fring or Skype, as well as friends on regular phone lines via Skype-Out or other popular SIP services. A unique feature of the service is that it also works for calls made from mobile to Web-cam enabled PCs, a large market today.

To date, Regev said fring has about half a million users every month from a list of millions of users around the world. Each are using the free, ad-supported service for an average of four hours per day.

Nearly all VoIP clients, including fring, have found a place on Android today as well. Many of the services don't require WiFi at all. Instead, these clients, such as Nimbuzz, Rebtel and Truphone, ride on wireless operators' 3G networks, marking a significant departure from operators' typically adverse relationship with VoIP providers. Even AT&T was forced to allow VoIP services over its 3G high-speed packet access (HSPA) network on the iPhone – although it has been slow to actually implement this policy.

Fring works over 3G when the carrier or operating system allows it, but on the iPhone, it is still a WiFi-only service. Regev said fring works with both the carriers and handset makers to integrate the service and that most are getting used to the idea of allowing VoIP over 3G, whether by choice or regulatory pressure. It also helps the case that VoIP is also attracting so much attention and use of late. For fring, in particular, Regev said operators are open to the service because it is about more than just VoIP calling – it is a social experience on mobile that just happens to be VoIP-powered and free.

"We offer connections with your online friends, and chats are pretty big with fringsters," Regev said. "We also have file transfer and today we have video. VoIP is prominent for video because it's another way of communicating than IMs, but at the same time, I don't think we compete with operators. It's just another offering for communication."