fonYou, a global technology company based in Barcelona, today announced the launch of a free iPhone application that lets users download mobile numbers from the iTunes App Store.

Once the application is installed customers can immediately activate and use their new “fonYou number” from their existing mobile phone. The fonYou application creates a virtual phone line that allows users to have two numbers on the same mobile phone, doesn’t require an extra SIM card and works with any Spanish mobile operator.

In addition, fonYou’s virtual phone line comes with a range of innovative new cloud - based features:

Improved privacy: Ideal for use with social networks, online shopping or short - term contacts – calls to and from your fonYou number do not reveal your primary mobile phone number
Call control: Improved filtering of calls from unknown numbers which can be blocked or sent straight to voicemail using an advanced anti-spam filter that detects even hidden numbers
Data protection: The cloud-based service automatically creates and backs-up a full online register for calls, texts and voicemails as well as an online address book
Virtual switchboard: Advanced features such as voicemail forwarding, PC-based text, and individual settings for each contact – including personalised voice mail, extend the service capability beyond consumers and into the professional and small businesses market.
In the first instance, fonYou has launched this application on its showcase virtual mobile network in Spain but the company has plans to make it available in other territories. Unlike other virtual phone number services, fonYou’s service is not based on VoIP and therefore offers the same call quality as any other mobile phone service.

The iPhone application forms part of fonYou’s Cloud Telephony Services offering for mobile operators. fonYou has developed a proprietary technology platform, the OMT-9000, which enables mobile operators existing core to offer Cloud Telephony Services (such as the ones described above) to their customers.

South African operator Cell C recently became the first operator to introduce services based on the OMT-9000 platform when it launched its MyTools service in January (http://www.cellc.co.za/mytools).

These services are then made accessible to end customers through a variety of different channels: For example a private user space on the operator’s web page, an application in the users’ private Facebook accounts and now also as a smartphone application on the iPhone.

fonYou is currently developing versions of its virtual phone number application for other platforms such as Android or Blackberry.