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David Pogue: Is Google Voice a Threat to AT&T?

pogue.blogs.nytimes.com

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Re: David Pogue: Is Google Voice a Threat to AT&T?

#11

Post by ROFISH »

scott_s wrote: post #9
jrockway wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google Voice is a threat to AT&T and every other potential carrier for the iPhone. Maybe AT&T didn't really have anything directly to do with GV being yanked but it sure isn't going to make carriers around the world happy to have the iphone on their network if it can go around their revenue generating functions. How? Most people don't make international calls with their cell-phone. All Google Voice calls count as nor…

It gives AT&T less control, and increases the decoupling of a phone number from their service. You're correct that your number is transferable when you change contracts, but you have to change contracts. That is, the number is decoupled at the granularity of a contract. With GV, your number is decoupled from your AT&T phone even when you still have a contract. When someone tries to contact you, it's possible to decre…

At that point, you're dependent upon Google for running your public number. If somebody comes out for a better service, or Google decides to charge money for the GV service, you might not be able to transfer your number.

I'm all for giving AT&T less control in favor of Google because Google is decidedly less evil, for now. But make sure you have protections for future events.

Re: David Pogue: Is Google Voice a Threat to AT&T?

#12

Post by jamesk2 »

jrockway wrote: post #8
jamesk2 wrote: post #2

Google Voice is a threat to AT&T and every other potential carrier for the iPhone. Maybe AT&T didn't really have anything directly to do with GV being yanked but it sure isn't going to make carriers around the world happy to have the iphone on their network if it can go around their revenue generating functions. I'd love to have the iPhone on Verizon but how much will they want the iPhone if it is a trojan horse that…

Google Voice is a threat to AT&T and every other potential carrier for the iPhone. Maybe AT&T didn't really have anything directly to do with GV being yanked but it sure isn't going to make carriers around the world happy to have the iphone on their network if it can go around their revenue generating functions. How? Most people don't make international calls with their cell-phone. All Google Voice calls count as nor…

GV is a VOIP application. Maybe I've read too much TechCrunch but it seemed to imply that it would use the data network and not use minutes.

Are you sure it used your minutes and SMS instead of VOIP and SMS through google's accounts?

Re: David Pogue: Is Google Voice a Threat to AT&T?

#14

Post by ubernostrum »

jamesk2 wrote: post #12
jrockway wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google Voice is a threat to AT&T and every other potential carrier for the iPhone. Maybe AT&T didn't really have anything directly to do with GV being yanked but it sure isn't going to make carriers around the world happy to have the iphone on their network if it can go around their revenue generating functions. How? Most people don't make international calls with their cell-phone. All Google Voice calls count as nor…

GV is a VOIP application. Maybe I've read too much TechCrunch but it seemed to imply that it would use the data network and not use minutes. Are you sure it used your minutes and SMS instead of VOIP and SMS through google's accounts?

If you use their web application to place calls and send SMS, then yes it's "VoIP" in the sense that it's using the data connection.

The native applications for various platforms, however, seem to involve actually using the phone as a phone, but with the calls routed through GV in order to have the caller ID and such work as expected. IIRC some earlier efforts involved explicitly dialling your own GV number to initiate the call.

Re: David Pogue: Is Google Voice a Threat to AT&T?

#15

Post by jrockway »

jamesk2 wrote: post #12
jrockway wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google Voice is a threat to AT&T and every other potential carrier for the iPhone. Maybe AT&T didn't really have anything directly to do with GV being yanked but it sure isn't going to make carriers around the world happy to have the iphone on their network if it can go around their revenue generating functions. How? Most people don't make international calls with their cell-phone. All Google Voice calls count as nor…

GV is a VOIP application. Maybe I've read too much TechCrunch but it seemed to imply that it would use the data network and not use minutes. Are you sure it used your minutes and SMS instead of VOIP and SMS through google's accounts?

Not true. No voice travels over IP, except for the MP3s of your voicemail that you download.

Source: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Google+Mobile/thread?t...

Re: David Pogue: Is Google Voice a Threat to AT&T?

#16

Post by jrockway »

ubernostrum wrote: post #14
jamesk2 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

GV is a VOIP application. Maybe I've read too much TechCrunch but it seemed to imply that it would use the data network and not use minutes. Are you sure it used your minutes and SMS instead of VOIP and SMS through google's accounts?

If you use their web application to place calls and send SMS, then yes it's "VoIP" in the sense that it's using the data connection. The native applications for various platforms, however, seem to involve actually using the phone as a phone, but with the calls routed through GV in order to have the caller ID and such work as expected. IIRC some earlier efforts involved explicitly dialling your own GV number to initia…

VoIP means voice over IP. The only time your voice goes over IP with Google Voice is on their internal network. You use a regular phone to call Google Voice, and then they make a regular call to your destination.

Re: David Pogue: Is Google Voice a Threat to AT&T?

#17

Post by jamesk2 »

jrockway wrote: post #16
ubernostrum wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you use their web application to place calls and send SMS, then yes it's "VoIP" in the sense that it's using the data connection. The native applications for various platforms, however, seem to involve actually using the phone as a phone, but with the calls routed through GV in order to have the caller ID and such work as expected. IIRC some earlier efforts involved explicitly dialling your own GV number to initia…

VoIP means voice over IP. The only time your voice goes over IP with Google Voice is on their internal network. You use a regular phone to call Google Voice, and then they make a regular call to your destination.

Thanks jrockway for clearing that up.

So if people get used to using GV on iPhone, Blackberry and Palm, it would make switching to GV on Android trivial. There would almost no transition costs.

I get tired of my iPhone (or more likely pissed off at Apple for something) then I could just take my GV #, make some settings changes, then buy an Android phone and be off.

Easier switching is better for us, maybe not so much for Apple or AT&T.

Re: David Pogue: Is Google Voice a Threat to AT&T?

#18

Post by joubert »

ROFISH wrote: post #10
joubert wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does Verizon do GSM?

No, but but they have massive plans to rollout LTE. LTE is a 4G technology with 4G being defined as IP address + data stream, no fancypants, no application (ala telephonery) has specific own physical/link layer.

Yeah, no GSM, no play.

Re: David Pogue: Is Google Voice a Threat to AT&T?

#19

Post by ubernostrum »

jrockway wrote: post #16
ubernostrum wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you use their web application to place calls and send SMS, then yes it's "VoIP" in the sense that it's using the data connection. The native applications for various platforms, however, seem to involve actually using the phone as a phone, but with the calls routed through GV in order to have the caller ID and such work as expected. IIRC some earlier efforts involved explicitly dialling your own GV number to initia…

VoIP means voice over IP. The only time your voice goes over IP with Google Voice is on their internal network. You use a regular phone to call Google Voice, and then they make a regular call to your destination.

Which is, I think, what I said, except for the part about the web application (which obviously doesn't involve your phone making a call).

Re: David Pogue: Is Google Voice a Threat to AT&T?

#20

Post by jrockway »

jamesk2 wrote: post #17
jrockway wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

VoIP means voice over IP. The only time your voice goes over IP with Google Voice is on their internal network. You use a regular phone to call Google Voice, and then they make a regular call to your destination.

Thanks jrockway for clearing that up. So if people get used to using GV on iPhone, Blackberry and Palm, it would make switching to GV on Android trivial. There would almost no transition costs. I get tired of my iPhone (or more likely pissed off at Apple for something) then I could just take my GV #, make some settings changes, then buy an Android phone and be off. Easier switching is better for us, maybe not so much…

Or you could just pull your SIM card out of your iPhone and stick it in an Android phone.
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