VoIP

2010: Taking Recombinant Communications “Over The Top”

“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.”

Growth Scenarios for Google Voice

Google is poised to broaden the reach of its Google Voice service beyond the original GrandCentral subscriber base. With 1 million phone numbers in reserve with Level 3, it’s time to take stock of Google’s options as a Web-based, virtual voice network operator.

Amazing Fact: Second Life Generates 1 Billion Minutes of Voice Calls per Month

secondlife_1This story by Dean Takahashi in Venture Beat provides vivid evidence of the changing models for call origination among social network participants. According to one report, this is about 12% of the traffic level on Skype these days, but given the much smaller user base, it speaks to the power of linking voice channels to all the increasingly addictive and immersive social networks.