LA Times On Lower Net Calling

The Los Angeles Times' Jim Granelli has written a very comprehensive piece on the state of Internet calling, covering VOIP, video and VoIP on the Go in the three page story that ran in today's Sunday edition on line and in print.

Besides being quoted in the story, and having two agency clients, Mobivox and SightSpeed referenced repeatedly throughout the story, what Granelli did was present all types of easy to use solutions which consumers can use, also recognizing T-Mobile's UMA play, Skype, GizmoProject and iSkoot. All are next generation 2.0 type phone services that use IP and very different, not simply 1.5 type PSTN over IP plays (ala Call Vantage and Vonage) which though mentioned, are which really only different from PSTN in their method of delivery (broadband) and where the bill comes from.

What Granelli did was focus on services that lowers users costs, citing examples and drawing appropriate rationale in the story, which are of the true benefits of what VoIP means to consumers. The more subtle points in the story though are what makes it such a required read.

1. Computers work well for calling. (Skype, Gizmo, SightSpeed)

2. Video calling is working now and is a real deal (SightSpeed, Skype)

3. Alternatives for long distance calling on mobile phones are now available. (Mobivox, TalkPlus, Jajah, iSkoot)

These are all made possible by the deployment of IP technology and VoIP by companies whom Granelli has made poster childs of their categories. SightSpeed, GizmoProject, Skype, T-Mobile's @ Home, Mobivox and iSkoot.