Mobile VoIP stars

Telephonyonline's Joan Engebretson has a very useful summary of the major start up players in the fast moving wireless VoIP sector and their approach to the market. Truphone, Fring, iSkoot and Mobivox, are featured.

The question is can pure play mobile VoIP work as a business? The history of wireline pure plays such as Skype and Vonage does not inspire investors, with both struggling to find a sustainable business model in the face of aggressive competition from cable companies and telco triple play offerings.

Mobile VoIP may make sense for people who do a lot of international calling, Iain Gillott, president of research firm iGR told Telephonyonline. But for most people, he said, "it's a heck of a lot of trouble to go to in order to avoid paying a few bucks; the drivers are not as compelling as in the landline space."

Gillott added that traditional carriers could easily respond if they were to find that a large number of people were using alternative providers to make mobile VoIP calls. "All it would take is a little marketing and packaging by the carriers to address that one," he said.

"The big guys will do it when the quality of service is sufficient that my wife and my dad don't complain about voice quality," he said. "They will do it on their own terms when they're ready."

For More:
- Telephonyonline: VoIP deja vu
- Six question with Truphone's Keith Wallington Report

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