Global IP Solutions, a provider of IP multimedia processing services, including VoIP, has launched its VideoEngine Mobile on Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform.

VideoEngine Mobile enables peer-to-peer video calling and multi-point video conferencing on mobile phones. Using GIPS' VideoEngine Mobile, wireless carriers, application developers and mobile handset manufacturers can provide video calls and conferences even under adverse network conditions.

"We've focused on bringing the highest quality IP communications to customers and consumers, and as we moved through time, we've changed our products to fit what the market needed," said Larry Golob, senior director of business development for Global IP Solutions, San Francisco. "Video is becoming more important, so it's natural to extend this to the mobile platform.

"There's the need for uniform communications as the world becomes more mobile," he said. "Consumers are looking for any device, anytime, any format, and it's nice to extend that level of connection to having video."

"We're seeing that need for video, and it's a natural extension of our product line."

GIPS has partnered with Marvell Technology to ensure that its media processing software provides the most advanced mobile phone features on the Marvell chipset.

The partners have optimized it for the XScale PXA310 devices including the Hewlett-Packard iPAQ series, Samsung's SGH-i780, Samsung Omnia, LG KC1 and Gigabyte's GSmart MS808.

According to a recent report from NSR, a research firm specializing in satellite and wireless technology and applications, mobile TV and mobile video services are projected to grow almost ten-fold to 566 million users by 2013.

GIPS leverages its real-time communications capabilities to manage network effects and hardware limitations to provide a superior mobile video call experience, while addressing the most complex voice and video-related issues in IP communications, such as packet loss and lip synchronization.

Future releases of VideoEngine Mobile will also support other popular mobile platforms including Symbian and Apple's iPhone, as well as additional hardware platforms for Windows Mobile.

The VideoEngine Mobile for Windows Mobile will see commercial release in the next couple of quarters.
The Symbian version of VideoEngine Mobile is expected to be released in 2009.

GIPS' voice engine has already been ported for the iPhone, although no date has been set for the release of the video engine.

Global IP Solutions provides voice and video processing in IP communications.

GIPS serves application developers, wired and wireless service providers and network and telecommunications equipment vendors.

Its customer list includes Nortel, Oracle, Samsung, WebEx, Yahoo, AOL, Nimbuzz and other players in the voice and video over IP markets.

"Previously this was a difficult technology to embed and operate, but we dealt with deficiencies of what handsets have offered," Mr. Golob said. "We're making complex mobile voice and video difficulties go away."

GIPS sees opportunities for its customers, applications developers and carriers to use this as advertising platform.

"As everything moves to these new mobile platforms, you can find ways to monetize them," Mr. Golob said. "As more people are moving from the desktop out into the world, there are more eyeballs on mobile apps and services, including LBS, and you can find innovative way to monetize things like that."
GIPS believes that mobile video, while still in its infancy, is a largely untapped resource for marketers.

"Right now it's wide open, and if you look at the progression of this technology, it's still in its early days, but there's a lot of opportunity ahead of us," he said. "Big systems companies like Cisco are adding video to their platforms and discussing unified communications, and there are huge opportunities there for everybody."

GIPS is betting on mobile video reaching a tipping point in the near future.

"It's very exciting, because once people see what the capabilities are, we're going to start to see hockey stick growth, we'll start to see it ubiquitous," Mr. Golob said. "It's going to follow the traditional patterns of the introduction of new technology into the marketplace, but the time scale is shortening.

"It's going to reach the mass market sooner rather than later," he said.