If the news from broadband management company Sandvine is any indication...the answer is yes. At least for residential anyway. Calls using Skype account for nearly half of the VOIP minutes used (46.2%) and about 40% of the VOIP bandwidth used in North America, according to an analysis done by Sandvine. That puts Skype usage ahead of Vonage, Cablevision, and other popular branded residential VOIP offerings. In fact, Sandvine says Skype users account for 35.8% of individual VOIP callers on North American networks.
Now again....look deeper. That's residential users......not business. Skype can't deliver the capability, capacity, and reliability businesses require. Plus residential Skype users are tied to a PC and headset arrangement. Businesses balk at that restriction. So Skype is still a nice alternative for the regular Joe....for now.
Skype is all about getting users hooked on the free part and then charging for additional services like SkypeOut and video conferencing. Also....Skype says it themselves, they are not a replacement for your home telephone -- they are an ancillary communication service.
Skype's master plan is to eventually begin licensing the Skype software to handset manufacturers around the world. So while Skype may be a threat to VOIP companies and wireline carriers now, it could evolve into a threat for mobile service providers too. Hmmmmm......the future looks to be very interesting.
VoIP Training Center
There's a nice little VoIP training center courtesy of VoIP News anyone interested in VoIP should visit. Actually it's a comprehensive listing and review of training and certification programs offered around the world, online, and in CDs, videos and books. Perfect resource for every business considering deploying VoIP technology is some form or other.
Breaking News....Cognigen Is Now In The Travel Business
This one is somewhat of a surprise......
MLM Company Directory....Use It!
If I've said it once I've said it a million times....when looking for a business for God's sake PLEASE do your homework. Part of that due diligence means you must learn as much as possible about the company (or companies) you're looking at. One very nice resource to help you do this is the MLM Company Directory at MLM.com. You'll find information on commission plan, sales method, product, their stock symbol and market reports if they are a public company, an expanded company description, any press releases from the company, and more. As most of this info is supplied by the company itself....be aware that it may sound a bit biased. But it is an excellent place to start and is reviewed for facts before publishing by InfoTrax Systems (owner of MLM.com).
