Google moving further into the Phone Market
Google is further trying to penetrate the voice communications market by way of it’s recent acquisition of Gizmo5 in the US. Gizmo5 is an online phone company that operates an open-standards platform for Voice-over-IP phone calls that is similar to Skype’s popular platform.
In addition to the possibility of fierce competition that Google poses to Skype, it could also be threatening to some of the world’s largest telecommunications companies whose fat profits are derived from mobile communications.
Google Voice is on trial in the USA at present, and it enables the user to transfer their existing phone number onto the platform, and provides a way to unify your mobile, fixed-landline voice and Voice-over-IP into one number, providing a host of cheap and convenient options including Voicemail, cheap international calls over the internet, Conference calls, Free SMS and more.
The move positions Google as potentially one of the most cost-effective providers for phone-calls, and if the technology is successfully implemented into Google’s Android handsets, it could enable callers to benefit from substantial discounts on their mobile phone bill and provide a very compelling offering that appeals well beyond the tech-geeks who are the current demographic of owners using Google’s Android Mobile Phone handsets.
Google Voice is on trial by invite only in the USA, and invitations can be requested from http://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html
