VOIP No Longer for the Underdog

VOIP No Longer for the Underdog: "News Analysis: The telehone industry's old guard emerges as leaders of 'new telephony,' and they can thank federal regulations.


Internet telephony was once for underdog firms able to muster up a few hundred thousand dollars in investments. But that's not the case anymore, and perhaps federal regulations have played a large role.
The present-day landscape is very different from what early VOIP (voice over IP) entrepreneurs had in mind for the freely available software that turns Internet connections into free phone lines.
Because of VOIP, the 'new telephone company' no longer needed to own a network of any kind.
Rather, it required only a little venture capital to build a brand and a Web site, and a requirement that all customers come with their own Internet connection. "