Comments on: Google Targets Skype

By: Maxim

Maxim — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 09:58:17 +0000

Everybody in the industry says that Google wants to control the core VoIP technology. Its bid for GIPS makes much sense in this respect. But what it means for the customers of GIPS, and some of them, by the way, are in direct competition with Google. It’s not unlikely they will be left with limited or no support at all. Google will use VoIP as a platform in its Android OS, Google Chrome and probably in its Google Apps. Google will need GIPS’ expertise and engineering resource to back its VoIP strategies.
SPIRIT DSP which successfully competed with GIPS over all these years is now the only independent VoIP technology company on the market. SPIRIT dislodged GIPS from Skype and was named among the Top 10 VoIP leaders by FierceVoIP. Today SPIRIT offers its VVoIP platform on a variety of desktop and mobile platforms, supporting not only Google’s Android but iPhone, Symbian, Windows Mobile. SPIRIT offers a video server with 1000-channel capacity. Now SPIRIT is the number one choice for service providers, application developers, and telcos that are deploying voice and video communication services.

By: Google eyes Skype’s pie, Skype hires pie guardians | insideCTI

Google eyes Skype’s pie, Skype hires pie guardians | insideCTI — Wed, 19 May 2010 14:35:46 +0000

[...] word out on the streets is that Big G is ready to challenge Skype. The folks over at Skype must’ve sensed something wasn’t quite right because about the [...]

By: GIPS, Google and All That Co-opetition Jazz! | Voice on the Web

GIPS, Google and All That Co-opetition Jazz! | Voice on the Web — Wed, 19 May 2010 12:01:21 +0000

[...] Alec Saunders on Voyces.com: Google Targets Skype [...]

By: GIPS acquired by Google. How does Abramson pick them? | Alec Saunders SquawkBox

Tue, 18 May 2010 22:58:07 +0000

[...] how long that relationship will continue. Over on the Voyces blog, I wrote that this acquisition is a strategic response to Skype, while Tom Howe rightly observed the subtlety that this acquisition is all about the migration of [...]

By: Tick, Tock, Core, Edge | Voyces

Tick, Tock, Core, Edge | Voyces — Tue, 18 May 2010 13:32:37 +0000

[...] Alec posted today about Google acquiring GIPS, and I see that pendulum in motion. For me, I see GIPs as being the quintessential edge company. If we didn’t have networks with edges (and more accurately, networks with narrow edges), GIPS wouldn’t be around. Google and Skype have an edge-centric world view. Incumbents, such as Verizon and BT, have a core-centric world view. GIPS is an important arrow in Google quiver, not only because it corners Skype into a media technology corner, but because it is an important part of the edge landscape. When added to other edge focused initiatives by Google, specifically the Android handset and Google Voice, it’s clear that the next generation battle-lines are drawn. Google is going over the top, betting hard on voice and handsets. Skype is controlling the browser, and betting hard on enhanced media like video. GIPS is a two-fer in a way; Google weakens Skype’s strategic control on enhanced media, while at the same time providing better voice experiences for its edge offering. That said, I’m not that worried about what Skype is up against. Skype has 450 million user accounts, and it’s a much safer bet that Skype has ten times more users than Google having ten times more users than Skype. Today, my money is on Skype. [...]

By: Alec

Alec — Tue, 18 May 2010 12:14:26 +0000

Ironic, isn’t it Ward? Not only that, but Skype seems to be acquiring a SIP braintrust with folks like Jonathan Rosenberg and Jason Fischl as recent recruits.

By: Ward Mundy

Ward Mundy — Tue, 18 May 2010 11:22:21 +0000

But still no SIP connectivity. I really don’t get it.