A mobile app has been launched that claims to “fundamentally change how people communicate with each other,” called Thrutu. The app, which is available for Android devices and will soon be available for BlackBerry and iOS, enables users to share location, photos, contact details, “and more” during a conversation. Future release of the app will also enable users to connect to social media sites, play games mid-call, share video in real time, and “develop a whole range of new ‘buttons’ to enrich the conversation.”

Some US observers highlighted the fact that the app needs a network technology that is capable of supporting simultaneous voice and data transmissions, meaning it will not work with the existing CDMA 3G networks of Verizon Wireless and Sprint. In addition to GSM-family mobile networks, it will also work using Wi-Fi connectivity.

The intention of Thrutu, to deliver enhanced voice calls, is similar to that of the Rich Communication Suite (RCS), a GSMA-backed initiative that gained some additional momentum last month when it was announced that Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telecom Italia, Telefonica and Vodafone intend to commercially launch RCS across several European markets from late 2011, using an enhanced version of the core RCS technology. AllThingsD noted that this requires some infrastructure changes, and that Thrutu has something of a time-to-market advantage, although its success will depend on getting the app to as many handsets as possible – an area where the operators may have some advantage.

Thrutu is a product of Metaswitch Networks, a UK-based provider of network infrastructure solutions. The company is also offering Thrutu as a branded application for operators.