News : 171 VoIP services worldwide shut down in 2007

12/12/2007

2007 has been a devastating year for many hopefull VoIP services. In a follow up of our market research carried out 12 months ago in 2006 (85 VoIP services shut down), this year saw a substantial escalation of retail VoIP services shutting down resulting in the death of 171 VoIP providers in the period November 2006 to October 2007.

The exponential growth of the VoIP industry in the past 3-4 years is now leading to an exponential growth in fatalities within the industry. The barriers of entry are very low and any tech savvy internet user can get a "VoIP business" up and running within a few days as a reseller. Although many of these now bankrupt VoIP services may have been fly by nights some of the biggest players in the industry were forced to shut their doors in 2007. The largest VoIP service (with over 200000 users) to shut down overnight was the second largest provider in the USA - www.sunrocket.com. The capital loss for each user individually is relatiively low, however the inconvinience and hassles of loosing one's telephone is exceptionally aggrevating, especially for small businesses.

Within the same time frame around 150-200 new VoIP services launched around the world bringing the total to over 1100 VoIP services worldwide offering cheaper calls to retail customers.

International call rates are at an all time low and will drop even further. Without a clever business and especially an on- and offline marketing and sales plan and without a key differentiator many of these startups will disappear again within the next 12-24 months.

It will be difficult to create a second Skype service, however nobody seems to be developing a VoIP application for Facebook. With Facebook's 40 - 50 million users this could be a worthwhile excercise - food for thought!

For all those interested in the list of "dead" VoIP services - see below or refer to the following page for the 2005 - 2007 VoIP Graveyard.

Domain		Country
www.degrifcall.com		Algeria
www.contenidosonline.com.ar		Argentina
www.iponline.com.ar		Argentina
www.iponlinephone.com		Argentina
www.sistemasyenlaces.com.ar		Argentina
www.netcall.am		Armenia
www.spantalk.com.au		Australia
www.callgate.com.au		Australia
www.fonebox.com.au		Australia
www.kangatalk.com		Australia
www.talkfan.com		Australia
www.vtalkvoip.com.au		Australia
www.ipphone.at		Austria
www.alveetel.com		Bangladesh
www.enetbd.net		Bangladesh
www.nextwavetel.net		Bangladesh
www.teleland.be		Belgium
www.belphin.com		Belgium
www.okscm.com.br		Brazil
www.voipitelefonia.com.br		Brazil
www.phonelowcost.com		Brazil
www.voipitelefonia.com.br		Brazil
www.virttel.com		Canada
www.allo.com		Canada
www.talafone.com		Canada
www.broadtel.ca		Canada
www.evolvetoday.ca		Canada
www.voctel.com		Canada
www.airstarcommunications.com		Canada
www.dialzone.net		Canada
www.friendlytelecom.com		Canada
www.massivetel.com		Canada
www.mxwv.com		Canada
www.czech-talkpro.cz		Czech Republic
wwwold.softphone.cz		Czech Republic
www.altistel.com		Czech Republic
www.avatel.dk		Denmark
www.tulipm.dk		Denmark
www.worldcall.dk		Denmark
www.teleout.dk		Denmark
www.speednetwork.ec		Ecuador
www.ip2phone.com		Ecuador
www.myvox.fr		France
www.advancecall.de		Germany
www.visavi-phone.de		Germany
www.flyfone.de		Germany
www.betamax.de		Germany
www.cocosys.de		Germany
www.evisionteam.de		Germany
www.monduno.de		Germany
www.mv2.de		Germany
www.planet-hosting.de		Germany
www.voip-phones.de		Germany
www.wodatel.com		Germany
www.clearkall.com		India
www.voiceireland.ie		Ireland
www.ngtlecom.ie		Ireland
www.vipnetphone.com		Italy
www.savetoll.com		Jordan
www.helloservices.com		Kuwait
www.parlino.com		Luxembourg
www.call2sip.com		Malaysia
www.linkvoice.net		Mexico
www.internetphoneconnect.net		Netherlands
www.veezcom.nl		Netherlands
www.yourcall.co.nz		New Zealand
www.phonet.co.nz		New Zealand
www.trunkcall.com		Pakistan
www.internetinair.com		Pakistan
www.pronobis.info		Peru
voip.polandstore.com		Poland
www.votecom.ro		Romania
www.etherealtalk.com		Russia
www.albavoip.com		Serbia
www.ubifone.com		Singapore
www.net4talk.com		Singapore
www.madaphone.sk		Slowak Republic
www.zero27.net		South Africa
www.embizo.co.za		South Africa
www.voipe.es		Spain
www.wi-call.com		Spain
www.tcat-telefonia.com		Spain
www.dynamic-net.ch		Switzerland
www.phonetophones.com		Switzerland
www.callclubtt.com		Trinidad and Tobago
www.rocktel.com.tr		Turkey
www.net4phonecalls.com		UAE
www.call2phone.com		UK
www.astartelecom.com		UK
www.glophone.co.uk		UK
www.ifband.co.uk		UK
www.intervivo.net		Uk
www.quazzle.co.uk		UK
www.bactel.com		UK
www.eco-phone.co.uk		UK
www.fodatel.com		UK
www.foneonline.com		UK
www.gemtelecom.net		UK
www.interchangeconnexions.com		UK
www.lincall.com		UK
www.manchestervoip.com		UK
www.photontelecoms.com		UK
www.ipcom.com		Unknown
www.newskyvoip.com		Unknown
www.dialanet.com		Unknown
www.great2call.com		Unknown
www.galaxietalk.com		USA
www.megatechservices.com		USA
www.elegance-com.net		USA
www.taquinetworks.com		USA
www.uspconnect.com		USA
www.fabrosphone.com		USA
www.eastfone.com		USA
www.fivestartel.com		USA
www.earthshinetel.com		USA
www.voipxp.com		USA
www.tomatovine.com		USA
www.sunrocket.com		USA
www.dingotel.com		USA
www.stanaphone.com		USA
www.fonixtelecom.com		USA
www.technicallusa.com		USA
www.advantagevoice.net		USA
www.dialdigit.com		USA
www.von2fone.com		USA
www.ekring.com		USA
www.glophone.com		USA
www.grouphone.biz		USA
www.ifreedomcom.com		USA
www.kazil.com		USA
www.linefire.com		USA
www.neovoz.com		USA
www.netzerovoice.com		USA
www.nexboom.com		USA
voip.ryantechinc.com		USA
www.sonicdigitalvoice.com		USA
www.talkdaddy.com		USA
www.globaltel.com		USA
www.telepacket.com		USA
www.terracall.com		USA
www.totalcallip.com		USA
www.triangulus.com		USA
www.veraphone.com		USA
www.voiponwireless.com		USA
www.zivva.com		USA
www.stalliondata.net		USA
www.aa-link.com		USA
www.accxxvoip.com		USA
www.actica.net		USA
www.alpha-serv.com		USA
www.asylumtel.com		USA
www.avalanchecomm.com		USA
www.avopdirect.com		USA
www.binasec.com		USA
www.bizimtel.com		USA
www.broadbandvoiceusa.com		USA
www.cntechnologies.com		USA
www.crystalvoicelive.com		USA
www.globaltalknetwork.net		USA
www.globalgatewaycom.com		USA
www.goiax.com		USA
www.infotel-us.com		USA
www.jadetelecom.com		USA
www.majosa.net		USA
www.vocalring.com		USA
www.voipescrow.net		USA
www.voipone.net		USA
www.voipplus.net		USA
www.voyz.net		USA
www.zentality.com		USA
www.blueskyphone.com		USA

source : http://www.myvoipprovider.com/option,com_myblog/show,171-voip-services-worldwide-shut-down-in-2007.html/Itemid,130/

What is VOIP(Voice Over Internet Protocol)?

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a protocol optimized for the transmission of voice through the Internet or other packet switched networks. VoIP is often used abstractly to refer to the actual transmission of voice (rather than the protocol implementing it). VoIP is also known as IP Telephony, Internet telephony, Broadband telephony, Broadband Phone and Voice over Broadband. "VoIP" is pronounced voyp.

Companies providing VoIP service are commonly referred to as providers, and protocols which are used to carry voice signals over the IP network are commonly referred to as Voice over IP or VoIP protocols. They may be viewed as commercial realizations of the experimental Network Voice Protocol (1973) invented for the ARPANET providers. Some cost savings are due to utilizing a single network to carry voice and data, especially where users have existing underutilised network capacity that can carry VoIP at no additional cost. VoIP to VoIP phone calls are sometimes free, while VoIP to public switched telephone networks, PSTN, may have a cost that is borne by the VoIP user.

Voice over IP protocols carry telephony signals as digital audio, typically reduced in data rate using speech data compression techniques, encapsulated in a data packet stream over IP.

There are two types of PSTN to VoIP services: Direct Inward Dialing (DID) and access numbers. DID will connect the caller directly to the VoIP user while access numbers require the caller to input the extension number of the VoIP user.

read more....source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_over_IP