There’s a new calculus afoot among “agile” application and software developers, especially those addressing the marketplace created by new mobile devices. It pays to “sell solutions,” especially when your solution is for a very specific, well-recognized problem.
Phil Wolff at Skype Journal said it all in a very insightful post: “Skype’s mobile bizdev execs trumped Skype’s platform technology execs.”
Opus Research tries not to promulgate rumors, but I’ve heard from two different sources that BT, which acquired phone-app specialist Ribbit in late July 2008 for $105 million, has initiated some major changes in the organization.
Avaya is making it easier for its existing customers to initiate and control voice calls over Skype’s network. At the same time, the two companies have chartered a “strategic alliance” and are ironing out details of a technology roadmap that will bring video teleconferencing and “federated” instant messaging (in the U.S. only) into the service mix.
Google has shed the last shred of exclusivity around its Web-based call management and messaging management mash-up (aka Google Voice).
Both Verizon Wireless and Skype have confirmed that they have forged an agreement that will “deeply embed” Skype’s services into selected smartphones marketed to Verizon Wireless’ 91 million subscribers. As a result of the agreement, Skype will be “always on”… Read More ›
Take heart Skype, Fring, Truphone and all other IP-Telephony service providers. Apple (and I assume AT&T) have finally approved a VoIP-over-3G application for the iPhone, iPod Touch and, yes, the iPad.
“Over the top” (OTT) is gaining momentum as the “term of art” for value-added Voice over IP (VoIP) transport networks. In rapid succession we’ve seen Avaya contemplating a relationship with Skype, Telefonica’s European wireless subsidiary 02 purchase JaJah and most recently Mark Plakias at Orange pointed me to a “Flash-to-VoIP” service, calling it an “OTT cocktail of Flash and Jingle-to-SIP gateway technology + carrier.”
This is a banner day for Avaya. After five months, its proposed acquisition of Nortel ES has finally closed. Now it is apparently thinking of Skype.
In response to demand from “nearly 10,000 companies” Skype has expanded the availability of its Skype for SIP “beta” service to all comers. Phil Wolff explains provides detail on the service in this post on Skype Journal. But the gist… Read More ›