MS VOIP
MS VOIP
By Ian Cooper
Wednesday Nov 08, 2006
Dear American Capitalist Reader,
While it’s never been a secret that Microsoft has wanted to be involved with voice over Internet protocol (VOIP), CEO Steve Ballmer finally made it clear that the company will enter the market by the “beginning of next year,” according to InformationWeek.com.
But this isn’t the company’s first move toward VOIP or its last. It has long used VOIP functionality in software. It even acquired Teleo in August 2005, allowing users of Microsoft Outlook and Internet Explorer to make phone calls by clicking on a number. The big change now: CEO Ballmer wants to incorporate VOIP functionality across the operating system, desktop applications and server software.
Sure, Microsoft is a latecomer to the VOIP party, but since when has the company had a problem coming into a new field and dominating? With that in mind, we’re keeping an eye on several VOIP space names (quite possibly, buyout targets), including Delta Three Inc. (DDDC), a $40 million company with no debt, and 8 x 8 Inc. (EGHT), a $95 million company that was just awarded a new U.S. patent for VOIP technology related to the display and sharing of images over the Internet.
Stay tuned.
Ian L. Cooper
Editor, EVS / Early Alert Trader