Every cellphone a Serval phone in five year

The head of Flinders University's Serval project - innovation that enables cellphones to communicate with each other without the need for a base station - claims that, within five years, the Serval software will be on every cellphone made.

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) call

This mesh enables a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) call, not a normal cellular call, originating on any of the phones to be carried across the mesh until it reaches a phone in other words within range of a mobile base station. It at the time enters the public telephone network as a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) call via any available VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service for which the Serval client has been configured.

Alternatively the link to the cellular network could be provided by a dedicated Serval device - the Serval software running on a PC.

Gardner-Stephen said: "The Serval Project isn't a threat to the telcos. To tell the truth, it will complement the conventional carriers by offloading 'edge-traffic' from the networks which will be burdened by increasing data volumes and video calls. With the generous support of the Shuttleworth Foundation, we'll be able to advance the cause of the Serval Project to address these global communications needs."

According to the University "This funding will enable Dr Gardner-Stephen's team to take the research from concept-proven capacity to make voice calls, send SMS and map locations and features through to a refined, end-user ready product."