Multimedia processing services provider Global IP Solutions is enabling voice-over IP for Apple Inc.'s iPhone.

Using GIPS' VoiceEngine Mobile platform, iPhone application developers can quickly integrate real-time VoIP applications, which will make it easier for consumers to enjoy their favorite iPhone games, applications and social networking experiences. This is one more indicator of the flood of mobile application innovation that is being inspired by the iPhone and other advanced handsets.

"Whether you're at the PC or on a mobile device, consumers want access to instant messaging, various interactive gaming features, social networks and enterprise unified communications, so developers need to be able to support the all of the various platforms and operating systems that end-users might have," said Joyce Kim, chief marketing officer of GIPS, San Francisco.

"Given the prevalence and popularity of the iPhone, this made sense," she said. "Now developers can focus on developing the best applications, and we let them provide voice capabilities to those to applications."

Inventors of the Internet Engineering Task Force iLBC codec standard, a narrowband speech algorithm designed to optimize calls made over the Internet, GIPS has launched VoIP technology for many of the leading Internet service providers, application developers and hardware manufacturers worldwide.

The iLBC codec is already embedded in the iPhone.

"All the various messaging applications such as Google Talk, IBM Sametime and Yahoo have the ability to text messages back and forth, and now you'll be able to initiate a voice call using a Wi-Fi or Internet connection, from PC or your handset," Ms. Kim said.

"We provide libraries and APIs, enabling technology that developers can get from the iTunes Apps Store and use that to enhance their applications," she said.

This could open up many opportunities in the enterprise mobile marketing space, such as giving consumers the ability to respond to ads immediately via voice.

"For example, this will give people working on a mobile device the ability to make free phone calls within hotspots, in-game multiplayer chats, to play games with multiple people and talk to them at the same time," Ms. Kim said.

In the past, GIPS has done direct marketing via email, Webcasts, podcasts and appearances at trade shows.

"We'll certainly do some direct marketing programs around it, but we're pretty well known for our media processing side," Ms. Kim said. "This is yet another add-on to the current breadth of customers we already have."

GIPS VoiceEngine Mobile provides the capabilities for the mobile application development community to turn voice into IP packets so that they can be transmitted via Wi-Fi, making it easier for applications developers to come to market quickly with integrated VoIP applications.

A highly competitive and growing market, a recent Strategy Analytics forecast reports that 297 million mobile phones were shipped worldwide in the second quarter of 2008, an increase of 15 percent year-on-year.

GIPS claims that its VoiceEngines have been downloaded more than any other voice engine worldwide, providing IP-based communications to consumers and businesses even under adverse network conditions.

GIPS serves application developers, wired and wireless service providers and network and telecommunications equipment vendors. Its customer list includes Nortel, Oracle, Samsung, WebEx, Yahoo, AOL and other players in the voice and video over IP markets.

The platform has been available for Symbian and Windows Mobile devices for a couple of years.

According to Apple, the demand for the new iPhone 3G has been enormous. It sold more than 1 million units during the weekend the phone launched in mid-July.

"You've got a set of users who favor the iPhone and are loyal to Apple, so it's important for developers to be able to support those users in order to make your applications ubiquitous," Ms. Kim said.

GIPS is letting iPhone application developers accelerate their time-to-market with applications geared toward providing best voice experience possible.

The company works with developers and provides the component technologies and the enabling engine to make the VoIP technology work, charging royalties, license fees and annual maintenance fees.

"The explosion of application developers after the Apple iPhone release was made possible because APIs are available for third-party developers, and we're continuing to see new applications daily it seems," Ms. Kim said. "We believe that real-time voice features are critical to enhancing those applications.

"We're certainly very excited to continue to expand the breadth and depth of our offerings," she said. "This is something significant that's going to contribute to the development and enhancement of various applications, and we're looking forward to seeing this thing take off."