In the whirlwind of change in the telecom industry, operators are constantly struggling to provide better services at lower prices. However, risk arises when competitors decide to enter the market and who were not yet actively participating in it. Google launched Google Voice, a telecommunications service on March 11, 2009, following the acquisition of Gizmo by Google, which was Skype’s only competitor…
Google Voice? but still…
Google’s new service provides the user with a free phone number. Operation is simple: received calls are forwarded to one or more already active US numbers, all free. Which means Will receive calls to other telephone numbers connected to the landline Or through the Google Hangouts application to receive them on a computer.
Still far from offering an exclusively “virtual number” service, Google Voice includes many others. Properties Which are relatively similar to what “virtual switchboard” offers, among which we can quote:
- Voicemail with audio and written transcription of received messages
- call recording
- block unwanted calls
- Personalized reading and signing
- multi-convention
- send sms
limit of service
beyond minor limits, such as the amount of SMS that can be sent or the impossibility of calling emergency numbers, Google Voice actually has two significant restrictions: use of the service is limited to the US and Canada and cannot be integrated with other Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) services.
The first limitation can confuse the user as it contrasts with the range of services Google offers all over the world. It’s important to point out that Google is in the process of pursuing an immersion strategy in the US market to test the service’s potential, with the aim of perhaps being able to launch in other countries in the future. One model already thoroughly tested. To this we have to add protectionism imposed by the already existing telecommunications sectors in countries where regulation is high and where there are significant barriers to entry for new companies; Undoubtedly, Google has identified this critical barrier that will prevent the penetration of Google Voice.
In any case and because of the growing power of Google, It is conceivable that in the medium term Google Voice will be a reality in many countries.
However, the possibility that in the medium term Google Voice will ramp up its integration with other providers and start delivering calls in the form of VoIP, seems doubtful. Voice as a telecommunications service is losing its value. Current trends are moving towards a model in which the importance of voice as a product is diminishing. Prices are falling drastically and VoIP service will have to be kept up with other telecom services. Don’t be surprised if I tell you that VoIP will eventually become completely free. And Google Voice appears to be the first component. In fact, anyone who has a Google Account – a free service – will be able to associate a virtual number with other telephones you already have and benefit from a plethora of functionalities.
Google likes OMVs?
In recent years, rumors have been circulating about the possible possibility of turning Google into a virtual mobile operator (OMV). Although the company has never confirmed this, it can be said that Google has already made contact with North American operators with its own network to begin its immersion.
In any case, Google will adjust to the strategy it has already launched with its Google Voice service and it would be a natural move to broaden its line of action.
What would its destruction mean in France?
So we can ask ourselves, what will happen to the providers who currently only provide value-added voice services? The plan seems complicated for some providers offering VoIP calling services if Google decides to enter the market altogether, as Google already includes many features in its service.
Faced with the uncertainty of VoIP, Google’s strategy recognizes that mobile telephony data is essential. Google Voice’s proposal appears to announce that the key to short-lived value-added voice services and integration between various extensions, lies in being able to broadcast calls to cell phones. It seems logical that its strategy is until the telephone data services offered are reliable enough and competitive in price for the user.
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