Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2013	Jul. 31, 2013
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2013
Entity Registrant Name	ELEPHANT TALK COMMUNICATIONS CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0001084384
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2013
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Units Outstanding		135,958,674