Truphone


 

About us


Our business

Truphone is the leading next generation mobile operator providing unique, borderless mobile phone services that drastically reduce the cost of roaming and international calling. Our business is focussed on delivering high quality and reliable mobile communications for people and businesses that live & work internationally. Our services encompass the provision of Mobile VOIP on a wide range of mobile devices via our Truphone Mobile Application, as well as a full GSM mobile service Truphone Local Anywhere, launched January 2010.

Our heritage in mobile internet telephony means that unlike other operators, we have never been restricted by national borders. We believe that our customers should enjoy local rates, rather than inflated roaming rates, anywhere that Truphone has established operations.


Company history

Truphone was established in 2006 and was focused on the development of VoIP applications for mobile phones. Truphone has been recognised as a pioneer in mobile VoIP and its applications have been referred to as the "Gold standard". These applications allowed our customers to make free or low cost calls using the WiFi capabilities of their mobile phones for the very first time. By offering a way to avoid high standard operator international calling rates, Truphone quickly won friends amongst end users & the technology media.

Over the years our VoIP applications have seen continued success amongst both consumers and industry influencers, and are now available on a multitude of devices including many Symbian OS devices, the Apple iPhone and iPod touch, Blackberry and a number of Android devices. Our applications also integrate an open multi-headed IM, allowing customers to participate in social networking and non-voice conversations. Uniquely, we also allow customers to continue to enjoy low cost international calling when outside WiFi coverage, by routing calls over the user's standard GSM network.

As part of our strategy to become a global mobile operator, we acquired the business of Sim4Travel, including its GSM core network in April 2008.

SIM4 travel is a roaming SIM card available both online and through off-line distribution partners in the travel arena. The service is distributed through a number of leading Airlines, and by high street and online Travel agents. The product offered customer savings on roaming charges compared to their standard operator, whilst abroad.

Truphone Local Anywhere

In January 2010, building on the SIM4travel concept, we launched Truphone Local Anywhere.

Our Truphone Local Anywhere service makes it easy and convenient for international travellers to stay in touch without the worry of expensive mobile phone bills. Using just one smart SIM card, Truphone Local Anywhere customers pay only local rates for calls, texts and data in Truphone established countries. Customers also have the option to add extra telephone numbers for those countries, so that friends, family and colleagues can reach them wherever they are without having to pay for an international call.

Truphone Local Anywhere is live today in the UK & the USA, and will rapidly roll out to a number of key business & leisure destinations in 2010, such as Australia, Hong Kong, Spain and South Africa. Elsewhere, we provide low EU wide rates and highly competitive roaming rates in a further 185 countries.


Timeline

  • January 2010
    Truphone launches the 1st phase of its revolutionary GSM service in UK & USA
  • January 2010
    Truphone adds Wi-Fi calling to a range of Android devices
  • June 2009
    Truphone application on 12 new Nokia devices including the 5800 and the N97
  • March 2009
    Launch Skype calling on iPod touch and iPhone
  • March 2009
    Launch Blackberry business application
  • February 2009
    Launch AOL Instant Messenger calling on iPod touch and iPhone
  • February 2009
    Launch PayPal as a 'way to pay'
  • January 2009
    Launch twitter IM on iPod touch and iPhone
  • January 2009
    Launch of Android application
  • January 2009
    Launch iPod touch
  • Q4 2008
    Launch of Blackberry application
  • Q3 2008
    Launch of iPhone application
  • Q2 2008
    Acquisition of SIM4travel
  • Q1 2007
    Launch of Nokia E series applications
  • Q3 2006
    Launch of Nokia N series applications

Company information

Truphone is the trading name of Software Cellular Network Ltd.

Registered address:
5 New Street Square, London EC4A 3TW

Company no: 04187081
VAT no: GB 851 527 819

Truphone's headquarters are in London, UK. The company has offices in Australia, Philippines, Portugal, Switzerland and USA.


Management team

  • Geraldine Wilson (Chief Executive Officer)

    Geraldine Wilson joined Truphone in October 2008 as chief executive officer. She has 25 years experience in the mobile and telecoms industry.

    She joined Truphone from Yahoo!, where she held the role of general manager of Yahoo! Mobile Europe and was responsible for managing the BT Yahoo! broadband relationship. Prior to Yahoo!, Geraldine worked at Vodafone, where she held roles including chief commercial officer of Vodafone Sweden; managing director of UK content services and director for Prepay at Vodafone UK; and managing director of Vizzavi UK. Geraldine was also global head of marketing and sales for Orbitel and, in her early career, spent five years working for Lake Communications, a leader in small PABX's.

    Geraldine has an MBA from INSEAD.

  • James Tagg (Chief Technology Officer)

    James Tagg is chief technology officer and founder of Truphone and has over 20 years experience bringing new mobile telephony and other technologies to market.

    Prior to founding Truphone, James was managing director of FastMobile Europe, where he launched both Mobile Instant Messaging and Push-to-Talk with carriers in Germany, Italy and the UK. Prior to this, James was the chief technology officer of Internet consultancy Zepher. Earlier in his career, James invented the touchscreen technology found in most of the world's public access touchscreens today. He founded Moonstone Technology in 1989 to develop it, before selling the company to MicroTouch Systems Ltd - now 3M - in 1994.

    James holds an engineering degree from Manchester University and a postgraduate qualification in production methods and management at Cambridge University. He holds multiple patents in both mobile and touchscreen technologies.

  • Coen van Breda (Chief Financial Officer)

    Coen van Breda joined Truphone as chief financial officer in June 2006 and was responsible for the fund raisings in 2006 and 2008, which were the largest of their kind in Europe. Coen is a veteran senior finance and accounting executive with a career history of success in raising capital, mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings and nurturing management teams in companies of all sizes.

    He has a history of successful operation in business-critical financial roles, ranging from blue chip global organisations to small enterprise and start-up technology companies. Prior to joining Truphone, Coen held corporate management positions as an equities trader for Goldman Sachs in London. He also worked in auditing for KPMG in New Zealand and The Netherlands. He later moved into chief financial operator roles within systems software / technology organisations.

    Coen holds a degree in accounting from the Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. He is certified as an accountant and licensed as a securities dealer.

  • Paul Buck (Business Development Director and UK Sales)

    Paul Buck is business development director at Truphone. Paul joined Truphone in 2008 following the company's acquisition of SIM4Travel, where he was managing director and one of the founders.

    Prior to this, Paul was one of the founders of CRC Romania, a mobile phone recycling and refurbishing company which he later sold to Shields Environmental. Previously, he was commercial director at Martin Dawes Interactive, before founding his own mobile phone and digital TV consultancy business - Dialto Ltd. Paul began his career in sales in 1983 and worked in various retails positions until 1999 when he became regional sales director at Phones4U.

  • Gregory Mappeldoram (Head of Legal)

    Gregory Mappledoram is Head of Legal and joined Truphone in May 2009. Gregory has worked in the IT/Telecommunications sector for the past 12 years. Prior to joining Truphone Gregory worked in the legal departments of British Telecommunications plc and Intec Telecom Systems plc.

    Gregory holds a LLB degree from the University of Natal, South Africa and an LLM in International and Comparative Business Law from the London Guildhall University.