March 21st 2007 - London, UK - Red Herring Magazine has awarded mobile VoIP pioneer Truphone a much-prized place on the prestigious Red Herring 100 Europe list. The Red Herring 100 Europe is an annual award given to the top 100 private technology companies based in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region, and recognises the 100 most promising companies driving the future of technology.
“This year’s impressive list of winners demonstrates Europe’s emergence as a major player in the global technology sector,” said Red Herring Editor-in-Chief, Joel Dreyfuss. “The exceptional accomplishments of European technology companies and entrepreneurs are a testament to the rapid advancements being made in building the European innovation ecosystem.”
James Tagg, Truphone’s CEO, said: “2007 will be remembered as the year internet-fuelled disruption came to the telecoms market. For Truphone, a Red Herring 100 Europe award shows that many other smart people realise there’s a fundamental change coming in the mobile communications industry. It also creates an expectation of success and we look forward to the challenge.”
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Notes to editors
About the Truphone service
Truphone enables Wi-Fi equipped mobile phones to make 100% VoIP calls at either zero or very low cost to the caller, by using the SIP standard and the Internet to route network traffic, rather than traditional mobile phone networks. Truphone-to-Truphone and Truphone-to-SIP number calls are always free, with Truphone calls to other numbers charged at cheaper rates than those charged by mobile operators and often at lower cost than even a conventional fixed line.
There is no monthly subscription, no inbound charges and billing is via pre-pay. Sign-up and top up are done via the web site. Customers get Truphone by downloading a small piece of free software over the air to their phone. When a Truphone-equipped handset is not in Wi-Fi range it reverts to being a normal mobile phone, with calls routed over GSM as usual.
About the Red Herring 100 Europe
Red Herring’s lists of top private companies are an important part of the company’s tradition of identifying new and innovative technology companies and entrepreneurs. Companies including eBay and Skype were spotted in their early days by Red Herring editors, and touted as leaders that would change the way we live and work.
Red Herring’s editorial staff rigorously evaluated more than 700 private companies through a careful analysis of financial data and subjective criteria, including quality of management, execution of strategy, and dedication to research and development.
About Red Herring
Red Herring is a global media company which unites the world’s best high technology innovators, venture investors and business decision makers in a variety of forums: a leading innovation magazine, an online daily technology news service, technology newsletters and major events for technology leaders around the globe. Red Herring provides an insider’s access to the global innovation economy, featuring unparalleled insights on the emerging technologies driving the economy. More information about Red Herring is available on the Internet at www.redherring.com.
About Truphone
In mid-2006, Truphone was the first company to introduce true internet telephony (‘VoIP’) for mass market mobile phones, enabling free and low-cost calls from handsets via Wi-Fi and the Internet. The company is closely involved with the open source community and is developing the Truphone service in accordance with internationally-recognised open standards. The company has development teams and partners in locations across Finland, Romania, USA and the UK, and is a member of Forum Nokia Pro.
In December 2006 Truphone was selected as a ‘Technology Pioneer for 2007’ by the World Economic Forum. At the end of 2006 it received the biggest Series-A venture capital investment of the year for a European technology company. Truphone is the trading name of Software Cellular Network Limited (SCN), a privately-owned UK technology company founded in 2000.
For more information visit www.truphonepressoffice.com.
Important information: Truphone is not a replacement for an ordinary telephone service and emergency calls cannot be made using Truphone. However Truphone does not prevent emergency calls being made via a handset’s normal cellular service provider.
Truphone cannot advise on the legality of VoIP services in specific territories or jurisdictions. It is the user’s responsibility to confirm that use of the Truphone VoIP software and service is permitted in the location in which they use it.
Truphone is a registered trademark of SCN. Other product or service names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.