The PhoneBoy Blog

German Courts Ban VoIP App on iPhone

11 Sep 2008

Image via CrunchBase, source unknown

T-Mobile in Europe seems to have something against VoIP, attempting to thwart companies like Truphone from connecting to T-Mobile UK customers, and now getting the courts to “ban” a particular iPhone app because it might induce people to “jailbreak” their phones, which is against the rules, you know!

sipgate‘s Thilo Salmon told Tom Keating, “Unfortunately, T-Mobile has found a court to ban VoIP from the iPhone. I am glad to report though, that we have found a court to hold up the current ban of their iPhone ads in Germany. I guess, that at least eases the pain.”

Garrett Smith thinks the issue is a non-starter because “an overwhemling majority of the population will have an epic fail on their hands when attempting to jailbreak their iPhone in order to use the sipgate application.” Furthermore, he goes on, it will give the whole concept of Mobile VoIP a black eye.

Whether or not a normob is going to try and install this application is beside the point. The point is: a wireless carrier or government has no right to tell anyone what apps I can or can install on a piece of hardware that I paid for–either directly or through carrier subsidy. It’s a very slippery slope–one that could be applied to anything. Heck, anything is dangerous in the wrong hands, so why don’t we ban it?

Meanwhile, if you want VoIP on your iPhone in Germany? Get the Truphone app. No jailbreaking required!