Kineto Wireless has introduced a mobile VoIP application designed specifically to be deployed and managed by mobile operators. The app, which leverages the operator’s existing voice network infrastructure, is designed to run on iPhone, Android, Symbian, and Windows Mobile devices.

Steve Shaw, Kineto’s vice president of corporate marketing, says the offering is designed specifically to compete with popular mobile VoIP services, such as Skype. "What we’re doing is creating a downloadable VoIP client application, akin to what a user would download if they were to download Skype onto their iPhone," he says.

The point, Shaw says, is that mobile operators are finally starting to realize that they need to offer an alternative mobile VoIP solution to their customers. "And so what our application really does is take the mobile operator’s existing mobile services and deliver them like an application that can be downloaded onto your iPhone or Android phone—or, really, any smartphone with Wi-Fi," he says.

While products like Skype, Fring, and Nimbuzz are all about bypassing the mobile operator, Shaw says, Kineto’s offering can help turn the tide. "If you’re a mobile operator, there are 100 solutions that are all about bypassing you, and there’s nothing that’s for you…so what we’re trying to say is, for those operators out there who want to come up with their own Wi-Fi calling service, now we’re offering you the tools to go ahead and do that," he says.

Get the full story here at Wi-Fi Planet.com.