Truphone + Skype, A Coversation With CEO Geraldine Wilson

The world of communication is changing quickly, we all know it. When I was a kid, telephones still had a rotary dialer, and long-distance calls were made with care because they cost so much. Growing up, my father was one of the researchers helping to ensure that the first transatlantic fiber optical cable could be laid and, with it, far larger bandwidth used for both voice and data transfer.

Here we are in 2009 and things are changing more rapidly than ever. Leading the communication transition is a small but rapidly growing company known as Truphone.
I had the opportunity to speak with Geraldine Wilson, the CEO of Truphone, late this afternoon. Geraldine’s been with the company for only three months. Her enthusiasm for all that the company has achieved, and excitement regarding plans for the future is clear when speaking to her.

The call was precipitated by the company’s announement yesterday that Truphone is bringing Skype to the iPhone.

Within the next week and a half, on both the iPhone and the iPod Touch, the Truphone application will include IM using Google Talk, Microsoft, Skype, and Yahoo.  It will incorporate the ability to Twitter, and allow access for voice calls using both Skype and Google Talk. All of that means that the ability to use the application to make free WiFi calls jumps from the hundreds of thousands to the millions of potential recipients. If that’s not a significant change in communication, I’m not sure what is.

Let me step back just a bit. The application for the iPhone rolled out just a few months ago. The iPod Touch followed shortly thereafter spurred on by the ability of the second-generation device to handle voice input. Prior to yesterday’s announcement you could use WiFi to make free calls to any other Truphone user. A recent update had rolled out "Truphone Anywhere" which made it possible to use Truephone on a cellular network to make phone calls at incredibly reasonable rates. This next update, however, is huge. It means that the iPhone becomes a true voip device that is more useful to connect to far more people, and that phone calls become less expensive than ever before.

The new instant messaging feature goes live on the iPod Touch sometime today and the new update rolls out to the iPhone next week.

One of the questions I asked during our conversation was how it is that they have been able to rollout a product with such high quality voice capabilities — when competitors have not been nearly as successful. The answer was that Truphone started as a voice company and has built out their capability from there.  They have focused solely on a mobile device perspective and, as such, have a some of the worlds best experts in both VOIP and mobile technology.
I asked the question as to why it is that, after being in business for a number of years, their product is available on Nokia handsets and, just recently, Blackberry, but remains "coming soon" on Motorola handsets and Windows mobile devices. At the same time, they have not only released the application for both the iPhone and the iPod Touch, the newest platform listed here, but they have been offering updates at an incredibly quick pace. So in short, my question, "Why the iPhone?"

Geraldine’s answer was quite clear — first and foremost she noted that, and I quote, “we believe the world changed when the iPhone came out and especially when the app store opened.” (Here at woip we could not agree more.) She went on to note that the iPhone is not a "mobile" device, but rather a data device with mobile access. (ditto) The iPhone has, in her opinion, turned users into data users and "WiFi hunters". People want to use data on an IPhone (and by extension the iPod Touch) in a way that they have not previously wanted to use data on a handheld.

When, in response, I commented, "And the fact that the iPhone switches seamlessly between cellular data connection and a WiFi connection makes it even more desirable" Geraldine replied — "Exactly! Quick switching makes a huge difference".

Furthermore, Geraldine noted that the App Store means people want to download and try out new applications in a way previously not seen. This turns the iPhone into a "great environment to bring your service". It is such a great environment, and they have seen such a rapid take-up of the Truphone service on the iPhone and the iPod Touch (especially compared to their experience with other handhelds), that Truphone has decided they will only be developing the application for handsets that include both WiFi and access to an applications store. (Which obviously means they will also be coming to android devices sometime in the near future.)
So why has Truphone chosen to focus so much energy on the iPhone? Because the iPhone "gets you more return on investment."

When I asked what the future of the iPhone application would be from Truphone Geraldine shared two major points of focus for the near future.
Number one — now that they are extending into the Skype and Google talk communities, they want to further extend their reach into other voices and instant messaging formats.
Number two — they’re working to clean up account management (which currently creates some minor headaches for users, example being if you use more than one device).

By this point in the conversation I was feeling a bit more comfortable and so I asked, "How did you get Apple and AT&T to let this application on the iPhone?"

Geraldine pointed out that this had occurred prior to her taking the reins of the company, but that it actually is not a difficult question to answer. She reminded me that when Steve Jobs had first announced the iPhone, he was asked about the ability to use VOIP on it. At the time, he answered that it would be permitted over WiFi but not over a cellular data connection. That, in fact, is exactly what Truphone does. While on WiFi, you can use it for free calls and it is a VOIP handset.  But while your on a cellular data connection, you’re actually routing the phone call through the service provider for the first leg. This approach keeps to the initial commitment but extends usability and the reach of the device to a huge degree.

Of all of the things that were said during our conversation, I was most taken by the statement that the goal of the company is "radical simplicity". Radical simplicity means that the application should be easy to set up and easy to use. Radical simplicity means that the application should allow you to connect to the greatest number of people using the greatest number of voice and instant messaging services possible. Radical simplicity means that you should be able to make phone calls or instant message to anyone anywhere in the world for little or no money.  Radical simplicity is the ability to use a variety of modes of connection and interaction from within a single application. Radical simplicity is definitely what this company has already been able to achieve in both its iPhone and iPod Touch applications.

I honestly cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would not want to download this application when it is released next week. The voice quality is excellent, the prices are fantastic, and the options that he gives you for the ways in which you communicate from within one application are like nothing I have seen previously on the iPhone. I truly believe that the release of this application next week marks a significant watershed in furthering the usefulness and relevance of device of which I am so fond.

One final comment —  at the end of our conversation she commented that the ubiquity of WiFi into the power of their application on the iPod Touch means that the iPod Touch now becomes a powerful communication device. She noted that she can see young people in particular using an iPod Touch for instant messaging and phone calls and carrying some simple junkie cell phone for those rare times when they don’t have access to WiFi. It is indeed a far cry from the rotary phone of my childhood.

My thanks to CEO Geraldine Wilson for taking the time to speak with us. For more information on Truphone you can visit the company website HERE.

I’ll should have access to the Skype-enabled version of Truphone in the next few days and will report back when I do.