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| Microsoft and MCI deliver PC-to-Phone calling |
| Tuesday, December 13, 2005 at 15:51 by Kathleen Hill |
Microsoft Corp. and MCI Inc. today announced a global, multiyear partnership to provide software and services that enable customers to place calls from a personal computer to virtually any phone.
The solution, "MCI Web Calling for Windows Live Call", will be available through Windows Live Messenger, the upcoming successor to MSN Messenger, which has more than 185 million active accounts around the world. The solution combines Windows Live software, advanced voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) capabilities and aims to strengthen MCI's expansive global network to give consumers an easy-to-use, convenient and cost-effective way to stay connected.
MCI and Microsoft are testing the service as part of a Windows Live Messenger limited beta with subscriptions initially available in the United States, and expect to jointly deliver the PC-to-phone calling capabilities to France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom in the coming weeks. Once subscribed to the service, customers can place calls to and from more than 220 countries with rates starting at $.023 per minute to the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Western Europe during the beta testing period. Upon sign-up, MCI Web Calling customers will receive up to one hour of free calls. Final pricing will be determined when the product officially launches in 2006.
Blake Irving, corporate vice president of the MSN Communication Services and Member Platform group at Microsoft said,
"Our new Windows Live PC-to-phone voice feature requires a partner that shares our vision for connecting people globally. We are thrilled to work with a proven global technology provider like MCI to provide the bridge between PCs and phones with high-quality voice services that enable people to communicate more easily, conveniently and inexpensively. Our customers are going to love this."
Patty Proferes, senior vice president of Mass Markets and Corporate Advertising for MCI added,
"MCI Web Calling harnesses the power of MCI's expansive global network with VoIP technology to support high-quality, cost-effective PC-to-phone voice connections around the world. This is a terrific example of the expanded MCI and Microsoft strategic relationship as the two companies continue to develop and deliver next-generation services for our customers."
The Microsoft and MCI technology builds on Microsoft's PC-to-PC voice investments, and will enable customers to call from a PC to phones around the world, including mobile phones, by simply clicking on an entry within their contact list in Windows Live Messenger or typing a phone number into the Windows Live Call softphone.
MCI will manage customer registration, terminating calls, customer account management, customer support and billing for the PC-to-phone voice service, and will work closely with Microsoft on delivering a high-quality software service and customer experience. Customers will be required to purchase prepaid calling time from MCI in $5, $10 or $25 blocks for use with the service.
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| Wonder if they are feeling the pinch with Skype?
Voice comms with messenger have always been a pain in the ar*e - it's not designed to go easliy through firewalls. Video is not as big a hassle - they should have instigated easier voice comms years ago.
Grumble grumble ... |
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| Indeed.
Our first thought on this was Skype too. Wonder how they'll feel with this new competition on the market and how much money the competition can afford to throw into such a project. Can't help feeling MCI and Microsoft are getting in ahead of Google Talk too.
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| Too little too late im afraid. Skype is already well into the millions of users (even concurrent online users), and is introducing Skype 2.0 (currently in beta) which also supports video in a far superior medium than MSN ever did.
Combine that with the zero hastle of setup and getting it all to work (or any single feature) and MSN's current and future offering is frankly dead in the water.
Gtalk too is less than impressive with its 1 person call/chat restriction. Its method of 'conference' call or chat is also not exactly easy (requiring 2 instances of the app to run and 'daisy chaining' it with eachother). Not what i'd call elegant. it is, however, clean and simple. If lacking the above features.
Skype is still the clear winner, being free of the 'click here for phatt loot' adverts that plague MSN. Skype can even be used in the above mentioned 'daisy chain' fasion, Linking conferences I personally have achieved over 14 people in the same chained conference. I have since ditched MSN and not really noticed its absence as i now talk to everyone i know. Virtual and real life. |
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| Price is another issue here. Unless their price is comparable if not they don't stand a chance. |
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| well.....thats not gona be free isnt it !!!!!!!!!!! |
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| for f**k sakes..........computers are not phones......phones are!.......just tryin to make more money...............come on! when this is available only fools will get it. |
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| it's ace, i don't have a phone, so i use this, plus it gets peoples contacts info from there spaces (name address etc), don't even need to type there phone numbers in, it rules! |
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