CounterPath has been assigned United States patent number 7,502,615 for its technology pertaining to handoffs between cellular and IP telephony. The newly patented technology enables users to roam between mobile and IP networks seamlessly, allowing active calls to be handed off faster between mobile and IP networks.

"The significance of this patent is far reaching," said Donovan Jones, President and CEO of CounterPath. "Architecturally we made some technical choices that make handover faster. Also, because we leveraged standards-based protocols like SIP, our technology works with virtually any network architecture and technology without requiring proprietary access points or clients. This approach works in both pre-IMS and IMS networks."

Mobile operators who integrate CounterPath's Network Convergence Gateway (NCG) into their offerings will be able to leverage the Internet as an extension to their network reach, giving their end users access from any Internet-connected location. Enterprise customers can utilize the NCG to access their PBX from the mobile network regardless of whether they are connected via IP or GSM/CDMA networks, enabling their workforce to use their Wi-Fi-enabled mobile phones virtually anywhere in the world without having to pay expensive roaming fees.

Typically, mobile operators only receive a small percentage of the roaming revenue when their customers roam in foreign networks but if the call takes place over Wi-Fi they receive all the revenue. In addition to significantly improving their roaming revenue while reducing costs, mobile operators will also be able to pass on savings to their subscribers, thereby increasing their competitive advantage in the marketplace.

This patent is the latest in CounterPath technology to enable seamless, robust and cost-effective IP-based communications. CounterPath has 26 patents issued or in progress.