Vonage Brings VOIP App to Google Android Mobiles

Vonage Holdings, a provider of voice and messaging services over broadband networks, announced the expansion of its Vonage Mobile application to AT&T and T-Mobile devices that use the Android mobile operating system.

The app is currently available to download for AT&T and T-Mobile Android devices via the company's Website and is already available for iPhone, BlackBerry and iPod Touch devices. Vonage Mobile customers benefit from outbound international calling over WiFi and cellular networks as well as free domestic calls over WiFi.

The Vonage Mobile application gives customers the flexibility to choose between Vonage World Mobile, which includes unlimited international calling to more than 60 countries, and Vonage Mobile Pay-Per-Use. Vonage claims its Mobile Pay-Per-Use provides savings of more than 50 percent for dozens of countries, when compared with rates charged by wireless carriers. With Vonage Mobile, there are no access numbers or new phone numbers to give to friends and family. Customers just enter an international number or select a contact from the existing contacts on a mobile device and hit Send.

"We are focused on ensuring that our customers can enjoy all the benefits of their Vonage service from any location using any device that can access the Internet," said Michael Tempora, senior vice president of product management. "We will continue to expand our offerings in 2010 to include a robust set of voice and messaging services that utilize WiFi and 3G wireless networks."

In March, the company announced the grant of a virtual phone number patent. The patent, number 7,680,262, is titled "Method and Apparatus for Placing a Long Distance Call Based on a Virtual Phone Number," and allows consumers to communicate to distant locations without incurring long distance or international calling charges. This is Vonage's second patent related to the use of virtual phone numbers. Vonage's first patent directed to the use of virtual phone numbers, number 7,386,111, was granted in June 2008.

Virtual phone numbers allow people outside a Vonage customer's local calling area to call for the price of a local call. Vonage customers can choose a virtual phone number in the calling area of a parent, relative or friend or wherever they want to establish a "virtual" presence. Vonage offers virtual phone numbers across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, in addition to more than 14 other countries.