VOIP Providers Sharing Networks

VOIP is making its way to the Instant Messenger. This week, SIPPHONE and the Gizmo Project announced together that it will be possible to call from the Gizmo client on a PC to other PC-based Instant Messenger clients like Yahoo and Google Talk.

This agreement where users from more than one network communicate with each other is called federating. By coming together in this way, providers are certain to increase the already growing popularity of VOIP.

The major internet players – Yahoo and AOL – haven’t been inclined to cooperate in the federating process. Isolation is never the best answer, and Google (often on the cutting edge of internet technology) is the exception. It has pioneered the use of open standards. It is this federation that is crucial for the bridging together of VOIP services.

With the step being taken by Gizmo, VOIP is moving closer to what Talkster is doing with mobile phone communication. For the last 6 months, Talkster users have been able to call Google Talk, Gizmo, and MSN buddies from anywhere – without the use of a PC or broadband.

Gizmo is forging the only path for the future of VOIP. With the success of adding the Yahoo component to its service, it is likely that more providers will find their way to the open standard.