BT and Sony to bring communications functions to PSP

Posted May 23, 2007 at 2:03AM by QJ Staff Listed in: News, Add-ons Tags: British Telecommunications, SCEE, Sony

The PSP, a Phone? - Image 1

British Telecommunications (BT) and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) have signed a deal that will add new functions to the PSP, turning it into a phone of sorts.

The four-year contract includes the addition of "wireless broadband communications functions, including high quality handheld video calls, voice calls and messaging." Now, BT will offer the service first in the UK, though there's no word yet on how it'll actually work, but it's an intriguing development for the PlayStation Portable (PSP).

Said Steve Andrews, BT's chief of mobility and convergence,

The combination of SCEE and BT working together is a natural fit. Sony is a world-class company producing some of the worldÂ’s most innovative electronic devices and BT is at the forefront of communications with the 21CN global platform... With over 8 million PSPs shipped across Europe, we are very excited by the opportunity to give customers a whole new communications experience, connecting and seeing friends across the world through BTÂ’s technology.

Will we be seeing a revolution of this sort in America and Japan? We certainly hope so.

37 Jumps Another PSP exploit found, works on firmware 6.20 and all PSP models

25 Jumps Spike TV casting call for God of War reality show

18 Jumps The Sims 3 coming to consoles and handhelds

17 Jumps Square Enix profits up almost 50 percent, FFXIII sells 1.8M units in Japan

16 Jumps PSP homebrew - PMPlayer Advance v3.0.8

13 Jumps PSPlayerMT For PSP - Direct AVI Player Works On All the PSP

13 Jumps PSP homebrew - PSPLife: a Game of Life simulator

13 Jumps Fieldrunners "Super Secret Cheats" are very badly-kept secrets

12 Jumps Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars announced for Autumn 2010

11 Jumps Alien Zombie Death on EU PS Store next week

Best prices available for:

Gangs Of London for PSP

Price Range:
$15.00 - $39.00

at 3 Stores

Compare Prices

Resistance Retribution - PSP (certificate 18).

Price Range:
$15.00 - $43.00

at 6 Stores

Compare Prices

Call of Duty: Roads to Victory for PSP

Price Range:
$39.00 - $71.00

at 3 Stores

Compare Prices

Comments

# W00T FIRST POSTER! — Guest 2007-05-23 01:25

this sounds great, the PSP can do anything

# 4.0?? — Guest 2007-05-23 01:28

is this a glimpse of a new firmware update

# PSP is getting cooler everyday — Guest 2007-05-23 01:32

Wow, the psp is really coming into its own element. Glad I bought one and definitely enjoying it.

# With what space? — Guest 2007-05-23 01:40

Their kinda running out of Flash0 space aren't they? This would be really really cool, but it would need to be on a UMD or something wouldn't it? Not really convenient to pop in a UMD every time you wanna take/make a call.

# With what space? — Guest 2007-05-23 01:44

# There's space if you don't run CF — Guest 2007-05-23 02:36

The space issue is only with custom firmware. There's still some left with the Sony ones. Also, don't expect this to be anything but wifi voip phone capabilties unless of course they find a way to make a sim card reader/cell antenna device that plugs into the usb port.

# ... — Wicked_Insider 2007-05-23 02:43

I've been saying that this has been comeing for a while now.

Yet get nothing but crickets chirping from the blog posters.

Tipical I guess.

This project will open up a whole new dimension to the PSP

as an everyday device. Look forward to more unannounced

developments from SONY to be revealed. This is just one of

many more exciting news releases to come.

# here we go... — Wicked_Insider 2007-05-23 02:51

Almost, Its a SIM Pro Duo Card with it's own

antenna built right in. The SIM card/pro duo

will also store about 256MB of extra data at

first. And yes there is a software UMD with an

update PBP. The PSP usb camera will be the

video source, PAL or NTFC depending on your

area will be supported.

# this is gonna turn out wierd — Guest 2007-05-23 05:25

the psp has no microphone!!! they are probably gonna come out with some new camera with broadband functions, or a new psp altogether. either way, its gonna be expensive and wont work with OE b/c no downgrade or no flash space

# yay — Guest 2007-05-23 05:38

somethings actually coming to UK first woooo

# Cool — Guest 2007-05-23 06:35

Yeah,Cool

# Cool... — Guest 2007-05-23 07:43

It would be a wonderful idea... if it weren't being put out in the UK first. Well, I guess Sony has to keep their Guinea Pigs somewhere... *cough*UK*cough *

# microphone — Guest 2007-05-23 07:44

the PSP doesn't come with a built in microphone.. but I have one that i use to talk to people on SOCOM. Maybe they'll make that compatible with it.

# lol — Guest 2007-05-23 08:16

thats a messed up thing to say. but they gotta test it somewhere. And also they are redesigning the psp so it might be part of that one. never know

# My hope — Guest 2007-05-23 09:06

is that the hardware they release with this thing is snatched up by us users and some nice voip homebrew is developed releasing us from BT's grasp.

Skype on the PSP would be glorious because no doubt if BT is the only company and the only competition then they will make us pay.

# CHOTTO SHOT/GO!CAM — Guest 2007-05-23 14:18

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

WE CAN USE THE PSP CAMERA!! YAY

# yeah!!!! — Guest 2007-05-23 15:23

this will kill the ds

# hell yea! — Guest 2007-05-23 15:35

woo ! I hope it cums to the U.S.

# the psp already — Guest 2007-05-23 18:21

the psp already owns the ds,dont u know that???stupid ppl with their stupid mind wasting their money on crap like the wii and ds and not on ps3 or psp>

# What? — Guest 2007-05-23 22:08

Yeah the PSP beats the DS but only because of the homebrew scene.

But come on, the PS3? That steaming pile of overpriced ***** has nothing on the Nintendo Wii.

# More info — Guest 2007-05-23 22:22

There's some more info on the BBC news website about this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6683231.stm

It includes a video and an interview with a BT person.

And yes it looks like they are using the standard PSP camera (with built in Mic in it) and BT is delevopling the VOIP software (they already provide a PC softphone for their BT Broadband Talk product)

# Prolly no skype then — Guest 2007-05-24 00:24

This will probably mean that the potential skype for PSP has been cancelled. No way that BT would allow

# plz — Silver-Tiger 2007-05-24 00:25

I hope this will also come to GERMANY.

If it does, I'm pretty sure T-Com germany will porvide this.

# Prolly no skype then — Guest 2007-05-24 00:25

This will probably mean that the potential skype for PSP has been cancelled. No way that BT would go through with this deal if you'd be abled to call your friends for free half a year later.

Bummer.

# sry — Silver-Tiger 2007-05-24 00:27

sorry my bad. porvide + provide

# .. — Dodo 2007-05-24 00:39

This is great. Net calling/video conferencing via PSP would be awesome, but they better keep it affordable.

PSP can do so many things! It totally kicks DS's ass!

# Disagree and agree — god0fgod 2007-05-24 03:21

DS is good but PSP is better. You can;t say the PS3 is overpriced. It cost less to buy than it does to make.

# ... — Guest 2007-05-24 04:19

So if you're calling the UK a country of guinea pigs because of this one thing, then you do realise that the US have been guinea pigs for even longer?

# ... — Guest 2007-05-24 04:21

He didn't say the PSP was worse, but you can't deny that the DS is still competition for it. He said this will kill the DS altogether, not make the PSP rise above it.

# still cant use — Guest 2007-05-24 09:43

to its full potential. Until i know wot location free playas all bout.........im 20 yes i shud no

# sweet — Guest 2007-05-24 09:50

this is cool but when it comes to the us i hope that theres no huge monthly fee to use it, i am willing to pay my normal cell phone bill if it replaces my cell permenantly.

# to:oooooooooooo ooooooookkkkkkk kkkkkkkkkk — Guest 2007-05-25 18:07

The PSP CAM has a MIC built into it.

Refresh comments list

Add comment

JComments

The QJ.net Network
Site	Feed
QJ.NET	RSS
Nintendo DS	RSS
PlayStation 3	RSS
PSP Updates	RSS
Wii	RSS
Xbox 360	RSS
MMORPG	RSS
Personal Computer Games	RSS
iPhone - iPod Touch	RSS
QJ.NET Forums	RSS

Add QJ.NET

User Favorites - February

Most Commented
Another PSP exploit found,..	(141)
QuickJump QuickLines Tekke..	(80)
Sony quarterly financials:..	(27)
Nomura to make Kingdom Hea..	(25)
Nippon Ichi operating prof..	(25)
Dead or Alive: Paradise is..	(22)
Namco Bandai posts huge lo..	(20)
Kojima: Peace Walker will..	(19)
Casual games are no threat..	(18)
ESRB pulls down Dead or Al..	(18)
Square Enix profits up alm..	(15)
Brock Lesnar is the face o..	(14)
And the winning QuickLines..	(13)
Watch: Iron Man 2 War Mach..	(12)
Koller: iPad is a "net pos..	(12)
Video: Dante's Inferno - m..	(12)
The Tester coming to the P..	(11)
God Eater has extremely cu..	(11)
PSP homebrew - PMPlayer Ad..	(10)
gpSP v0.9 for the PSP	(10)
Spike TV casting call for..	(10)
Sega teases: Vanquish plat..	(9)
PSP Homebrew: Power Switch..	(9)
Custom Firmware 5.50GEN-D3..	(8)
PSP homebrew - PSP Filer v..	(8)

User Favorites - February

Top Jumps
Another PSP exploit found,..	(366)
gpSP v0.9 for the PSP	(90)
Custom Firmware 5.50GEN-D3..	(69)
Dead or Alive: Paradise is..	(68)
PSPlayerMT For PSP - Direc..	(57)
God Eater has extremely cu..	(41)
Brock Lesnar is the face o..	(38)
Custom Firmware 5.50GEN-D3..	(35)
PSP homebrew - NesterJ 1.1..	(34)
Lego Star Wars III: The Cl..	(34)
PSP homebrew - PSP Filer v..	(33)
Square Enix profits up alm..	(32)
Sony quarterly financials:..	(31)
Nomura to make Kingdom Hea..	(30)
The Tester coming to the P..	(29)
ModNation Racers driving s..	(29)
PSP Homebrew Weekend Warri..	(29)
Watch: SOCOM Fireteam Brav..	(28)
NBA 2K10 has now scored tw..	(28)
Kojima: Peace Walker will..	(28)
PSP homebrew - PMPlayer Ad..	(27)
SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3 dem..	(27)
Nippon Ichi operating prof..	(27)
Video: Dante's Inferno - m..	(27)
Namco Bandai posts huge lo..	(27)

Username:

Password:


Remember Me?

Forgot password
New user registration