PSP will get VoIP phone functionality in Europe

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe announced today a partnership with British Telecom (BT) to offer voice, video and text communication on the PSP for European customers. The two companies signed a four year contract to develop a suite of VoIP services across all European territories, initially avaliable only in the United Kingdom where BT maintains about 2000 public wireless hotspots. The system developed by BT will not only allow communication between PSP owners, but also between PC, home phone and other mobile devices. No specific technical details or pricing have been released so far, but the system will likely involve some sort of subscription fee. According to BT executive Steve Andrews,

The PSP is an excellent device for both gaming and communications, because of its high quality screen and audio capabilities. 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 BT’s technology.

This partnership potentially affects PSP users across all 102 SCEE territories in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania. No word yet on whether this type of service will be offered in the United States or Japan, although we expect to hear a similar announcement soon.