Sponsored VoIP?

from the and-here-come-the-business-models dept

Just this morning we were talking about how price wars were pushing the price of VoIP lower and lower. So, it shouldn't be any surprise that some are experimenting with completely different business models around the idea of free VoIP. Up in Canada, Labatt Brewery decided to give everyone free VoIP calls, in exchange for a 10 second commercial about Labatt. The company that provided the VoIP service (it was a limited time promotion) is talking to other retailers about doing a similar sort of deal. It doesn't take much of an imagination to see how the ability for a company to brand VoIP could really disrupt the telecom world even more than expected. Suddenly, it won't be Verizon competing against Vonage - but Wal*Mart or Microsoft or Google... Already we have the MVNO concept in the wireless carrier world, where a company like Virgin can offer mobile phone service just by slapping their brand on a wireless carrier's service - so imagine the same thing in the VoIP world as well.