Vonage's woes are weighing down the rest of the VoIP service provider industry, financially, says Om Malik. The crows are coming home to roost, it seems. It just isn't easy to build a competitive carrier, no matter what the technology. The fact that these services are delivered over a residential internet connection can't erase that fact.
The shift in investor sentiment is heartening. Perhaps our industry can now start to move forward from the dead-end preoccupation of replacing telco-functionality with like, built on IP.
Alec Saunders is the Vice President of Developer Relations for BlackBerry maker Research in Motion. This is his personal blog, with his personal viewpoints. Prior to this Alec was the CEO and co-founder of Calliflower — the easiest way to hold a meeting, online, on a conference call, or on the go. A double-decade veteran of product management and marketing, he spent nine years at Microsoft where he helped launch Windows 95, the first two versions of Internet Explorer, the Universal Plug and Play initiative, the push into home markets, opt-in email marketing and what might well go down in history as the very first direct email list ever.
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Here here to that. If all you've got as a new telco is the same services but cheaper, then you're in trouble because the incumbents can use IP too, and they own enough infrastructure to tactically undercut whoever they lke. VoIP only makes sense when you start using its advantages, like mobility and presence, to build unique new services.
Ah, seems like competitors are are sending in sleazy bloggers to do their dirty work. Shame on you. Those crows definitely seeme to be up the blogger's butt!
Wallace – you should back up your accusation that bloggers are working for Vonage's competition, or back off.