VoIP Space Gets Even More Crowded With Bubble Era Business Models

from the and-you-thought-it-wasn't-possible dept

Mon, Mar 27th 2006 12:45am — Mike Masnick

Amazingly enough, it appears that even more people are trying to get into the PC-based VoIP space, which is already excessively overcrowded. The Associated Press notes two new entrants into the space, and neither will knock your socks off, other than (perhaps) to get you to ask why they even bothered to try. The first comes from Lycos, who yes, still exists. The big "differentiator" here? You get free calls... if you agree to accept spam. Now there's a winner of a suggestion. Someone should tell Lycos that 1999 business models don't really work so well. If anything, people just sign up using a junk email address and get their free calls -- which doesn't do the advertisers much good, meaning that it becomes pretty difficult to actually get advertisers. The second one lets people make VoIP calls using their regular phone. You put in your number and the number you want to call, and it calls your phone number first, then the other person's. Yes, if you're saying that's not even remotely new, you're correct. There were a few sites offering similar services in the late 90s as well. Everything old is new again...

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