Tesco and Australian company Freshtel are trialing a new internet telephony product to allow customers to make free mobile calls using their existing telephone number.
The new application, which is being showcased at Wireless 08 in London this week, can be downloaded on to a Wi-Fi-enabled handset to allow users to call and send messages to other users for free, and make ‘substantially’ cheaper calls to other mobiles, landlines and international numbers.
Calls are automatically routed via a Wi-Fi network, but revert to the user’s mobile phone network if they are outside a Wi-Fi area.
The product is currently only compatible with the main Nokia Wi-Fi-enabled handsets, such as the N95, N81, E65 and E51.
Freshtel and Tesco are monitoring the trial’s success with a view to launch.