Atelier and Philip Zimmermann, creator of PGP, have partnered to provide secure Voice over IP (VoIP) technology for Symbian smartphones.

Atelier is making available the Zfone software for Symbian OS that automatically encrypts voice calls made over the Internet, effectively turning existing Symbian smartphones into secure crypto phones.

Zfone for Symbian OS integrates with the Internet protocol stack of the operating system and intercepts VoIP packets as they go in and out of the phone, seamlessly scrambling voice on the fly. Zfone is compatible with all SIP/RTP-based VoIP clients, so it can be used out-of-the-box with the standard Internet telephony software built into Nokia S60 phones for example.

Zfone is end-to-end compatible with its desktop implementations making it possible to make encrypted calls between a Symbian smartphone and a PC. The technology auto-detects if the other endpoint supports encryption, and if not, allows regular VoIP calls, enabling immediate deployment in heterogeneous environments.

Atelier will demonstrate Zfone running on Symbian smartphones and its interoperability with PC based encrypted Internet telephony software on its booth #80 during the Symbian Smartphone Show in London UK, on Oct 16-17, 2007.