Don't ever try to hide reality from those that know...and Todd Carothers knows. He spent time working with the folks at Openwave, then did some time with former client BridgePort Networks (since acquired by client CounterPath) and he's fired off two very targeted posts aimed at the carriers and their network folks providing them options to Skype.
In an interview with Investor Business Daily about the Skype/Verizon partnership I suggested to reporter Brian Deagon that this was the first step at carriers working with IP communications service providers to deliver a better product over 3G and beyond. This means that there are really four players in the game who can do that, and what's common between all of them is one key point. Carrier cooperative vs. carrier hostile. Skype has learned to be "carrier cooperative" in mobile. The others are client Truphone and GoogleVoice (via the Android phone). Each has a business model that keeps minutes and a share of the revenue from calls with the carriers. Then there is CounterPath whose FMC technology keeps the carriers in control.
These wars are just gearing up, much the same way that we had alternative long distance battles back in the 80s. What has changed is it's now Alternative International Long Distance. The AILD market is the battle ground for the carriers and for the AILDs.
You may also want to check out John Furrier's POV over at Silicon Angle.
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