Skype & Jajah Good, Mobile Providers Bad

September 29th, 2006

I just read a good article discussing why Skype is having problems getting its mobile VOIP strategy in gear.  Skype has been slow to roll out its mobile offerings and there are technical hurdles to overcome for sure, but all that is surmountable.  The biggest concern I see is the fact that operators are blocking Skype network traffic.  That is troubling!

“Some wireless service providers have little incentive to let Skype on their networks. In its PC-to-PC incarnation, Skype is a competitor, luring away landline customers. Skype for Mobile could do the same for cellular operators. But unlike landline companies, mobile-service providers can block Skype on their networks.”

That is just wrong… wrong for developers trying to build mobile apps and ultimately wrong for consumers wanting to do mobile things better, faster, and cheaper.  How long can this go on?

Jajah, another mobile VOIP client and one of the 11 disruptive companies according to Business 2.0, seems to be pushing forward faster than Skype, but won’t they ultimately run into the same problems with cellular providers blocking their magic?  This is jacked up… consumers need to know that they are getting hosed.

On a side note, the article states that Jajah “says it will support all cell-phone models by yearend”.  I’d love to be wrong on this, but I am about 99% sure that won’t happen.  The folks at Jajah are doing a wonderful thing; I just think their ambitions are not attainable.  But it can’t hurt to think big hey?  Good luck Jajah!

Entry Filed under: Mobile