Deutsche Telekom will launch a new operator-managed OTT mobile communications service in the second half of 2016, it said at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
The concept, called immmr, will make mobile phone numbers virtual, meaning they are no longer tied to a specific device or SIM card.
It will allow usage of a mobile phone number on any device on any network, in the same way as OTT services such as email and social media can be accessed from any terminal.
Deutsche Telekom is presenting immmr as a “managed OTT service” for voice, messaging and video telephony.
Claudia Nemat, member of the Deutsche Telekom Board of Management, for Europe and Technology, said: “Immmr shifts the mobile communication of our users in [to] the cloud. The mobile number, calls, messages and contacts are accessible on any device, from anywhere, to use with anyone. This will change how we communicate.”
She added: “This is a unique, innovative model that lets us combine the best of internet-based communication with the strengths of mobile communication in a completely new communications service.”
The service was developed by the Deutsche Telekom’s R&D department, T-Labs, in Berlin, and is currently being tested in selected European countries.
At launch, users will be required only to register for the immmr service with their own mobile number.