Google Voice: The Message Is Loud and Clear

Author: Subha Rama, Senior Analyst, Enterprise Communications and Mobility

Published: 27 Aug 2010

June 26, 2010: Google Voice went live today, with a repertoire of “cool” features that range from free calling within the US, and to Canada, international calls at very low, competitive rates, a single calling number for multiple phones/devices, voicemail transcription, and SMS-to-email. Google Voice, which has worked on the single number feature it inherited after its Grand Central acquisition, provides a single, common phone number for work, home, and mobile phones. Unlike a landline service, the Google Voice number is not associated with geographical location or to a specific handset like a cellular service. Unlike other VoIP services, it is not tied to an IP address. More importantly, voice calling is a feature of Gmail and works only within the email account. Will Google Voice have an impact on the Telco voice revenues?

The full text of this Insight is available to subscribers of the Mobile Operator Strategies Research Service and the Enterprise Mobility Research Service and the Enterprise Communications Research Service and the Enterprise Communications Research Theme.

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