SigEx Ventures : Ooma is ready to take VoIP to the next levelby Corina Ciubotaru

Gone are the days when landline phone companies forced us to use their low-quality, high-cost services just so we could keep in touch with our friends. This is the age of Web 2.0, of personalized profiles and Internet TV. And of course, it is the age of Internet phone calls. The newest entry in this market is called Ooma and it’s kind of special. It’s capable of combining a landline and VoIP calls without disruption and can even act as a second line for incoming calls. Ooma can switch between the two lines and solves the main VoIP concern: what to do if the Internet connection fails? An Ooma hub is the only thing you need, apart from a phone of course, to get your new telephone line up and running; the hub costs $400 and has a built-in answering machine. Calls over the Internet are free, but you will still need to keep the landline if you want to use it for, say, emergency numbers when the connection is down. The release of Ooma is scheduled for September 2007 but until then, producers will give 1500 units to selected clients, which will also get three free tokens for friends who want their own Ooma. The network is thought to grow fast but will have to work around people’s distrust in VoIP. Free phone calls would give the Internet another layer of user interactivity and would ultimately help it achieve the ultimate goal of connecting all the people in the world.

by Corina Ciubotaru for SigEx Ventures (http://sigexventures.com)

SigEx Ventures's matrix of properties are quickly becoming leaders in digital telebroadcasting, free content delivery allowing people to easily talk, view, upload and share through free online TV broadcasting, free unlimited global calls, video blogs and SMS. SigEx Ventures invests in projects deploying "free" to add-on royalty revenue models