Skype will have a serious competitor?

After two years of monopoly in the VoIP market, Skype is currently facing two serious competitors Gizmo Project and PeerMe .

If two years ago the arrival of Skype was seen as a highlight of the free PC-to-PC phone market, the market is now witnessing the boom of VoIP services that are based on the platform. peer-to-peer applications.

Peer-to-Peer is a peer-to-peer network that allows direct interaction between two computers and installs an application software, not through intermediary computers.We can mention names that are forgotten, such as Google's GoogleTalk, Triton of AOL (America Online Inc), Yahoo Messenger of Yahoo, and IVE of Sony, but the two faces are expected to be real competitors of Skype is Gizmo Project and PeerMe.

With the advantage of being born early, having a dominant position in the market and having strong sponsorship of eBay, the question is: Can anyone beat Skype? The answer is: The market still has plenty of opportunities for superior technology improvements when we know that, currently, of the more than one billion global Internet users, only 40 million people have registered. use Skype.

The Gizmo Project was released in July 2005 with the desire to become a serious competitor in the VoIP market. Gizmo allows users to get all the services Skype has. However, the highlight of the Gizmo Project is not the number of services or cheaper prices (PC-to-Phone) but the technology interoperability. If Skype and VoIP providers use traditional peer-to-peer applications that only allow members to interact with each other when they use the same software or platform, users of Gizmo Project can interact with users of many other VoIP systems. Even with SIP-SIP PBX systems, Session Initiation Protocol, it provides the ability to easily integrate voice with other Web services, Gizmo Project also allows communication.

On the other hand, if Skype uses proprietary and closed platforms, the Gizmo Project platform is completely built according to open source standards.This is a huge advantage of Gizmo Project as the trend of using VoIP-based services of households, businesses and schools is increasingly confirmed - this is why experts I thought that Gizmo Project was on the right track.

Meanwhile, PeerMe, introduced in September 2005, targets a number of Asian markets such as Japan, Korea, China and India and uses a completely different business approach than Skype and Gizmo Project.PeerMe does not compete under the motto: 'cheaper, better quality' than other Internet phone companies often do.'PeerMe is not merely a phone call, but an integration between voice and Web functionality' - Tom Lasater, founder and CEO of PeerMe, said.

Accordingly, bloggers (blog owners) everywhere can quickly meet and chat with their favorite bloggers.To pursue this business strategy, PeerMe has worked closely with Web developers and database management companies across Asia.In the future, PeerMe hopes to generate revenue when combining its services with online database provisioning services.PeerMe also introduces two services that can bring added value to customers, it is adating sitethat allows users to talk to people who are interested and language exchange services (language exchange) allows users to practice foreign languages ​​with native speakers.

Another aspect of technology that PeerMe wants to exploit is the trend of integration between the Internet and mobile devices.Accordingly, mobile phone users will use PeerMe not only to access familiar services such as games and music, but also to communicate easily with bloggers and websites. dating and people they want to practice foreign languages. 

Obviously Gizmo Project and PeerMe have certain advantages to become Skype's formidable rivals. But one thing is for sure, it's not overnight, because Skype already has 40 million users worldwide, while Gizmo Project and PeerMe only join the VoIP market.

With Gizmo Project, the open structure, making it easy to make calls to fixed and mobile networks, allows storage of call information and high interaction with other VoIP networks, which is not required. controversy, but now, the most convenient VoIP connections for users are still in-network connections - if white-collar workers are happy with Skype, they probably won't easily switch to another network, Even if it is Gizmo Project.

Therefore, the Gizmo Project must implement many breakthrough solutions to increase the number of its subscribers before considering Skype. With PeerMe, the motto of building user communities on the Web and sharing online databases proved very convincing standing at the front of technology trends. However, PeerMe also has to work hard to entice web developers, as well as database management companies to realize their business strategy.

Of course, in the context of VoIP technology changing day by day with the appearance of many competitors, Skype also does not want to stand as an audience.Not only expanding the PC-to-Phone SkypeOut service to Asia - Skype has partnered with Pacific Internet to provide this service in Singapore and is proceeding to apply for a license to provide services in China - which recently Skype has introduced a trial version 2.0 that allows users to make free video calls.

Indeed, peer-to-peer VoIP-based VoIP service providers are implementing a technological innovation race with many interesting and, of course, business benefits, the most benefiting people from This race is the customer.

Ba Lam