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VoIP provider Vonage (News - Alert) today introduced the Vonage Mobile application for Facebook. Company officials said the new service allows users to make free mobile calls to all of their Facebook (News - Alert) friends who have the have the app, anywhere in the world, directly from their friends list, with a single touch.

The app is available for iPhone (News - Alert), Android devices, and the iPod Touch (the latter only allowing outbound calls) – and allows users to call Facebook friends using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), providing both parties have downloaded the app. Users will eventually be able to make calls (both incoming and outgoing) through the iPad, according to Vonage officials.

Marc Lefar, CEO of Vonage Holdings Corp., said that the Facebook app is one example of the company’s focus on giving customers better experiences with their social networks and broadband-enabled devices.

“This is just the start,” Lefar said. “In the future we will expand on this service to include a wide range of integrated voice and messaging services that change the way people communicate.”

So how does the Facebook app work? To get started, the user:

·         Downloads the app from the iTunes Store, Android (News - Alert) Market, the Vonage fan page on Facebook or vonage.com/talkfree.

·         Enters Facebook ID and password (one time only).

·         Views Facebook contacts after they are automatically loaded. They’ll be grouped by friends who can be called for free and friends available for instant messaging on Facebook. A Vonage logo will appear next to the names of friends who have downloaded the app.

·         Invites additional Facebook friends to get the app at the Vonage Fan Page on Facebook or vonage.com/talkfree.

·         Touches a friend’s name from the Call Free list to make a free call anywhere in the world; no need to be online.

·         Rings the phone for incoming calls, even if the application is closed.

Vonage World Mobile works with consumers’ existing mobile plans, which allows users to keep the same number, mobile device,  contacts and mobile service provider, company officials said. The New Jersey-based company currently has 3,113 Facebook users that “like” the Internet telephony group.