[quote=Red Herring]Unlike many of its counterparts around the globe, BT Group, the United Kingdom’s largest telecommunications carrier, has embarked on a plan to use its ownership of the country’s largest broadband network to challenge VoIP service providers such as eBay’s Skype division.
“Whether Skype’s business model is sustainable or not is yet to be determined,” said Gavin Patterson, BT’s managing director of consumer and ventures. “But this is our wakeup call. Rather than let VoIP be done to us, it is our single-minded intent that we transform our own business behind it and use it as a way of increasing our customer base on other people’s networks too.”
In a meeting in London recently, the carrier detailed a long-range plan whereby BT would embrace the changes taking place in the voice world even if it means transitioning a significant portion of its more profitable, traditional voice subscribers to cheaper services such as VoIP (see BT Begins Skype Backlash).
“The key to this is getting the cost base right on the new services and aggressively going after market share so that your core business is not eroded,” said Mr. Patterson. “We are actively migrating price-sensitive customers over to VoIP.
...
BT believes there is life in the voice market beyond VoIP, and long term, the real losers would be VoIP service providers such as Skype.
...
BT embarked on its Skype-beating strategy less than two weeks ago when it announced it was slashing its prices for voice services in half and offering free calls to 30 different countries during the holiday season.
The company already prices its international calls made from PCs to regular telephones via its BT Communicator service cheaper than Skype does with its SkypeOut service. BT also plans to introduce an enhanced VoIP service in the spring that would significantly improve sound quality. - Source[/quote]
The race to the bottom is in full swing. Skype better acquire a leadership position, and soon.
Full Version: BT Challenges VoIP Providers
Red Herring is a little late...
Actually this is a folllow-on article to this one:
[quote=Red Herring]It had to happen, but to date, the backlash from traditional telecommunications carriers over the proliferation of VoIP application providers piggy-backing on their networks and competing with them has been very low-key.
But “Operation Backlash” may have begun in London with BT Group’s announcement that it is slashing its prices for voice services in half and offering free calls to 30 different countries during the holiday season.
In a surprising move, BT, the largest carrier in the United Kingdom, mentioned Skype by name in its announcement. The company said that international calls made from PCs to regular telephones are already cheaper with its BT Communicator than “with rivals such as Skype.”
To further drive home the point that the carrier is targeting Skype and other similar services, BT said it will introduce an enhanced voice over Internet offering in the spring that will be available globally and feature its enhanced sound quality. - Source[/quote]
And not old news at all, as it is quite relevant to the BT holiday offering underway.
Care to comment on how this may or may not impact Skype now and going forward?
[quote=Red Herring]It had to happen, but to date, the backlash from traditional telecommunications carriers over the proliferation of VoIP application providers piggy-backing on their networks and competing with them has been very low-key.
But “Operation Backlash” may have begun in London with BT Group’s announcement that it is slashing its prices for voice services in half and offering free calls to 30 different countries during the holiday season.
In a surprising move, BT, the largest carrier in the United Kingdom, mentioned Skype by name in its announcement. The company said that international calls made from PCs to regular telephones are already cheaper with its BT Communicator than “with rivals such as Skype.”
To further drive home the point that the carrier is targeting Skype and other similar services, BT said it will introduce an enhanced voice over Internet offering in the spring that will be available globally and feature its enhanced sound quality. - Source[/quote]
And not old news at all, as it is quite relevant to the BT holiday offering underway.
Care to comment on how this may or may not impact Skype now and going forward?
[quote=muppetmaster][quote=Red Herring]Unlike many of its counterparts around the globe, BT Group, the United Kingdom’s largest telecommunications carrier, has embarked on a plan to use its ownership of the country’s largest broadband network to challenge VoIP service providers such as eBay’s Skype division.
“Whether Skype’s business model is sustainable or not is yet to be determined,” said Gavin Patterson, BT’s managing director of consumer and ventures. “But this is our wakeup call. Rather than let VoIP be done to us, it is our single-minded intent that we transform our own business behind it and use it as a way of increasing our customer base on other people’s networks too.”
In a meeting in London recently, the carrier detailed a long-range plan whereby BT would embrace the changes taking place in the voice world even if it means transitioning a significant portion of its more profitable, traditional voice subscribers to cheaper services such as VoIP (see BT Begins Skype Backlash).
“The key to this is getting the cost base right on the new services and aggressively going after market share so that your core business is not eroded,” said Mr. Patterson. “We are actively migrating price-sensitive customers over to VoIP.
...
BT believes there is life in the voice market beyond VoIP, and long term, the real losers would be VoIP service providers such as Skype.
...
BT embarked on its Skype-beating strategy less than two weeks ago when it announced it was slashing its prices for voice services in half and offering free calls to 30 different countries during the holiday season.
The company already prices its international calls made from PCs to regular telephones via its BT Communicator service cheaper than Skype does with its SkypeOut service. BT also plans to introduce an enhanced VoIP service in the spring that would significantly improve sound quality. - Source[/quote]
The race to the bottom is in full swing. Skype better acquire a leadership position, and soon.[/quote]
BT are following rather then taking the lead, in your own regualr terms inoative ?
BT are full of great ideas, unfortunately unable to market them.
Remember ISDN, what was that?
Sell their mobile arm (Cellnet), then see it valued more then their own business :-)
HoHoHo
“Whether Skype’s business model is sustainable or not is yet to be determined,” said Gavin Patterson, BT’s managing director of consumer and ventures. “But this is our wakeup call. Rather than let VoIP be done to us, it is our single-minded intent that we transform our own business behind it and use it as a way of increasing our customer base on other people’s networks too.”
In a meeting in London recently, the carrier detailed a long-range plan whereby BT would embrace the changes taking place in the voice world even if it means transitioning a significant portion of its more profitable, traditional voice subscribers to cheaper services such as VoIP (see BT Begins Skype Backlash).
“The key to this is getting the cost base right on the new services and aggressively going after market share so that your core business is not eroded,” said Mr. Patterson. “We are actively migrating price-sensitive customers over to VoIP.
...
BT believes there is life in the voice market beyond VoIP, and long term, the real losers would be VoIP service providers such as Skype.
...
BT embarked on its Skype-beating strategy less than two weeks ago when it announced it was slashing its prices for voice services in half and offering free calls to 30 different countries during the holiday season.
The company already prices its international calls made from PCs to regular telephones via its BT Communicator service cheaper than Skype does with its SkypeOut service. BT also plans to introduce an enhanced VoIP service in the spring that would significantly improve sound quality. - Source[/quote]
The race to the bottom is in full swing. Skype better acquire a leadership position, and soon.[/quote]
BT are following rather then taking the lead, in your own regualr terms inoative ?
BT are full of great ideas, unfortunately unable to market them.
Remember ISDN, what was that?
Sell their mobile arm (Cellnet), then see it valued more then their own business :-)
HoHoHo
[quote=muppetmaster][BT embarked on its Skype-beating strategy less than two weeks ago when it announced it was slashing its prices for voice services in half and offering free calls to 30 different countries during the holiday season[/quote]
I am on BT option1, can you tell me which international countries I can call for free over Christmas, BT forgot to tell me!
I am on BT option1, can you tell me which international countries I can call for free over Christmas, BT forgot to tell me!
BT are an ex state owned enterprise - the words innovation, trend setting and dynamic are words I would hardly associate with them.
Where others lead........they follow.
If you want to quote what is really going on........look at the mobile telecos instead.
Where others lead........they follow.
If you want to quote what is really going on........look at the mobile telecos instead.
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