Global IP Solutions (GIPS) today launched a version of its GIPS VoiceEngine Mobile platform for Apple’s iPhone, enabling developers to integrate real-time Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications into the mobile device.

With GIPS VoiceEngine Mobile, GIPS provides the capabilities that turn voice into IP packets so they can be transmitted via Wi-Fi, making it easier for applications developers to come to market quickly with integrated VoIP applications. Some of those applications could include instant messaging, presence, gaming, voice chat, productivity, and unified communications, according to Steve Rust, vice president of business development at GIPS.

The iPhone, he explains, is a dual-mode phone (one that works with traditional cellular signaling as well as wi-fi). "What our technology does is make sure that the quality of the VoIP call or activity is not compromised," he says.

"We are providing the layer on which people deliver the applications," Rust says. "Our intention is that the application developers will take this and put their own interfaces on it. It gives the application developers the opportunity to put out some interesting things for the iPhone."

Though an official product road map has not been created, the platform is currently geared toward voice applications, but could one day be expanded to include video over IP, Rust notes.

GIPS’ VoiceEngine Mobile platform has already been tailored for Windows Mobile applications and devices, and its iLBC codec standard, a narrow-band speech algorithm designed to optimize calls made over the Internet, is already part of the iPhone. For the company, expanding the VoiceEngine platform for the iPhone was a natural progression.

"The iPhone is a significant extension for us, because we want to do things on as many platforms as possible, "Rust says. "The iPhone is the latest mobile platform. It’s got so much momentum in the market right now."

"The popularity of the iPhone, along with the emergence of various applications and faster connectivity, makes it an ideal platform for developing applications that incorporate quality real-time VoIP, giving consumers real-world communication experiences like in-game, multi-person chat," Emerick Woods, GIPS' CEO, said in a statement.