As we all know, Skype and Google have a joint venture. Some observations:

1. As for VOIP, Google clearly does not feel that googletalk will ever get off the ground. Skype adds more users in a week than googletalk adds in a lifetime. Googletalk will remain essentially an IM product.
2. Googletalk and Skype will probably move toward interoperability in IM
3. Googletalk was a driving force for SIP dreamers. Where does SIP go now? Answer: no place.
4. Google stops eBay from looking elsewhere (eg Yahoo/MSN) for advertising
5. Google "checkout" may go the way of googletalk (ie. "merge" with Paypal)

Google eBay Click-to-Call deal is about Skypenomics and FUDware

http://www.skypejournal.com/

Do you even begin to understand the implications of this?



Oh, clearly not, as Google Talk is not SIP based. Besides, SIP is here to stay as there are far more SIP users than Skype (within the Skype network itself everyone who uses SkypeIn/SkypeOut IS a SIP user). For more on what this means look here -> link.



Do you know what the deal entails? Google for international, domestic for eBay is already Yahoo.



Finally, folks around here realize they are competitors now are simply engaging in coopetition. Do not kid yourselves, Google will do what is best for Google now and going forward. Period.

Neither Skype nor Google (when they add pstn to Google Talk) will ever federate with SIP providers. Why should they dilute their respective brands and allow third party providers to possibly degrade the quality of voice connections through the use of sub standard codecs, servers etc.

The future lies in pstn connectivity through both WIFI equipped cell phones as well as pure naked broadband phones without embedded calling plans.

As usual MuppetMaster is behind the curve. SIP is dead.

Google Talk already works with SIP platforms, including the opensource telephony platform Asterisk. This is exactly why Google published their P2P session protocol as a JEP and presented it to the open standards community, so they may federate and interconnect with other open standards based networks.

Skype will follow suite, at a minimum opening their SIP gateways.

Just have a look here.

QUOTE

Google's mission is to make the world's information universally accessible and useful. Google Talk, which enables users to instantly communicate with friends, family, and colleagues via voice calls and instant messaging, reflects our belief that communications should be accessible and useful as well. We're committed to open communications standards, and want to offer Google Talk users and users of other service providers alike the flexibility to choose which clients, service providers, and platforms they use for their communication needs.

There is no future in the PSTN, the PSTN is what is going to die as call price trends to zero and all calls get delivered over IP.



Based on the statements above, it would seem that mis-informed inviduals are the ones behind the curve. Even Skype makes the bulk of its revenue today off of SIP enabled services. In fact, eBay/Skype's desire to pair up with Google indicates exactly the opposite, that inter-connection and openness is the only way forward and it serves each of their commercial interests.

Everyone needs to understand what motivates Google, advertising revenue, and creating as little friction to obtain that revenue as possible. Now that Skype is aligning to the house of Google, they too are realizing that removing friction is the key to their long term strategic value and the walled garden will come down.

Did anyone here bother to actually read the press release:

QUOTE

The companies will also explore interoperability between Skype and Google Talk via open standards to enable text chat and online presence.

Google / eBay Press Release

Welcome back Muppet. I knew if we put out the right bait, we could get you back on the forums. We all really do enjoy your presence. I see you've decided to start over as a "newbie" so that folks can't look up what you've posted in the past. I suppose this is a calculated decision to enhance your credibility.

I did NOT say googletalk was a SIP service. I said that it was the darling of SIP "dreamers", such as you..... due to its stated purpose concerning interoperability. Most analysts I've read conclude that g-talk (voice) will never achieve market credibility, or rather that this is what Google itself thinks. Nobody thinks that businesses will post multiple click-to-call buttons. They'll make a choice, and that will be the service that has the best service and a thousand times more customers.... Skype.. Also, your suggestion that SIP is here to stay because of SkypeIN/OUT is disingenuous to the extreme. I've asked you over and over to name a SIP VOIP carrier that is experiencing market success.... still no answer.

As for the advertising deal, my understanding is that the domestic eBay/Yahoo thing is non-exclusive whereas the international eBay/Google thing is exclusive. Big difference. It could mean that Google will get the domestic too. The war is not over yet.... Yahoo (or Microsoft) could fight back. As for my prediction concerning "google checkout", it's already happening. Checkout is not getting market traction and has already lost some of its initial sponsors. I think they will conclude, as they have with g-talk, that they are better off joint-venturing than trying to create a competing service.

Google does not think this, but knows this. Remember, what is Google's singular focus? Revenue through advertising which means attracting as many eyeballs as possible. Products like, Gmail, Blogger, Calendar, Desktop, Froogle, and yes, Gtalk, are all means to an end. Google has decided it suits its interests to partner as well as continue its own developments, but Google knows that they themselves do not intend to invest in their own developments to become a flagship. Self-fulfilling destiny.

To say that Google has thrown in the towel though, is simply wrong, they have not, and the press release states this. In fact, I contend that Google will manage to get Skype to finally open up, which makes the most sense for both parties and the user community at large.

To make the statement that this agreement is a statement on SIP is farcical.



Where did I say 'because of'? This is simply one of many examples of how prevelant SIP is already, much more so than Skype. Nearly every time someone picks up a regular old phone and places an LD or IDD call they are using SIP, as this is how voice is carried within the interconnect carriers these days. Not even counting the enterprise users of SIP for intranet apps and PSTN connectivity. The point about SkypeIn/SkypeOut is that even a fair number of the Skype community are SIP users. Further, Skype has the ability to open these SIP gateways now, tear down that wall, and allow free and open access to their network. This is what the new agreement means, and it will happen in some form.

Now, lets be clear, are you asserting that the world is going to gravitate to a closed and proprietary protocol for all communications because eBay/Skype/Google sign a co-marketing deal? Not only is this against the core statements that Google makes about their policies on information and interconnection, but it does not make sense. Google is open and will remain so, Skype will have to be as well if they hope to capture the click-to-call market on any kind of scale. They will do so soon.

According to Google they are already working on interconnection schemes, and Google will not close their already publically available protocol in the process. So by default Skype will be open via Google Talk if not via their already existing SIP gateways.



Do you really believe that eBay will go exclusive for the US market? The only way that will happen is when Google buys them.

Personally i also think Skype will open!
Soon? Not sure!
They have to capture as big a part of the market as they can before they open.
I think they will only open once they see they have reached a critical undestroyable mass! Or when they see they can generate enough revenue (for a lasting period) on other stuff (collaboration agreements, etc.)

I don't know when that will be!

Anyway, they should open! Remember Apple and the Mac OS! Still (IMHO) the best OS on the market. But they didn't open, and they are struggling to survive!

SIP has a wonderful future as the carrier in the "last mile" of enterprises where it can be a common denominator for a variety of incoming protocols (without having to worry about security issues on a local network). We agree that Skype and SIP are not competitors here. What we disagree on is the future of the proprietary protocol, such as Skype, in all areas other than the "last mile" of enterprises. We also disagree concerning my contention that Skype is playing an increasing role in the "last mile" of enterprises as quality improves and new software/hardware becomes available. Google sees the handwriting on the wall. All the new cool telephony services and hardware add-ons coming from 3rd parties are oriented toward Skype. Googletalk just doesn't have anything to compete with anymore.

Keep ignoring what both the press release and Google have said publically:



http://googletalk.blogspot.com/2006/08/tal...with-skype.html

You could not be more wrong. Skype is headed in the direction of Google Talk, not the other way around. Google would not tie their future hopes for 'click-to-call' to a closed and proprietary system, regardless of what last mile it serves. Laughable to assert otherwise.

Give it up, Skype is opening up soon, will be curious to see how.