Technology Talkatone

[S O F I]

Why hasn't Google done this? www.talkatone.com It allows you to use your Google Voice number anywhere in the world to call normal phone numbers, all for free. Right now, you can only use Google Voice in the States and I think Canada.

 

[masta247]

Because it'd be illegal in most countries. I know our situation in Poland - Google wasn't allowed to launch a service allowing you to call for free.

Here it works that way - for every started phone call your carrier pays the carrier that you're calling to. Apparently it's supposed to keep the "competiveness" in tact (which is bullshit, it just prevents carriers from dropping prices below a certain point). It's called Mobile Termination Rate.
In the US and Canada they are below 1C and are free to be negotiated as long as they're symmetric. What it means is, that Google could negotiate free MTR both ways with carriers there and that's what they most probably did.
In the European union for example MTRs are capped by the EU government - they are about 10-20 times as high as in America, they don't necessirely have to be symmetric (those to new carriers are higher by default to "help them grow when they're young") but you can't negotiate lower ones.

 

[S O F I]

So why is Talkatone allowed?

 

[masta247]

Dunno. They might have a walkaround of some kind if it really works.

 

[dilla]

I have a first generation iPod Touch so I'm not sure if this would work on it, considering it has no external speaker. Even with headphones with a mic, I feel I wouldn't be able to install the app on 3.-whatever the fuck my iPod is limited to.

For my Droid and calling home, I use GrooveIP. Works just the same way with your GVoice number. Although, you can only call Canada and the US. So it's basically the GMail function on your desktop, but for your phone. The GVoice app for Android, I don't think, let's you call for free just on its own. GrooveIP let's you do that.