If Microsoft (News - Alert) expects to keep pace with Skype they are going to need to enlist the help of some SIP trunking service providers, according Tom Keating, chief technology officer of TMC Labs.

 

Keating, a computer engineer with 13 years telecom experience, says Redmond should partner with service providers – such as DIDX , Bandwith.com, Junction Networks (News - Alert) and Packet8 – and offer them all as a drop-down list within Windows Live Messenger for quick and easy configuration.

 

Windows Live Messenger has already teamed up with Telefónica to offer VoIP services and has previously worked with Net2Phone and Verizon (News - Alert) in exclusive deals with Microsoft's Messenger client, says Keating.

 

Keating points out on his blog that when you click on Make a Phone Call, users see the dialpad window and it explains they can sign up with Telefonica's Voype service to call directly from within Windows Live Messenger.

Telefónica's rates seem decent as compared to SkypeOut. For instance,Telefónica charges $0.014 per minute for the U.S. compared to $0.021 SkypeOut calls. Unfortunately, there is no dial-in (DID) capability equivalent to SkypeIn with Telefónica's service, writes Keating.

”If Microsoft really wants to compete with Skype (News - Alert) what they should do is partner with all the major SIP trunking service providers,” he wrote on his popular blog recently.

 

After all, says Keating, unlike Skype which is proprietary, Windows Live Messenger is based on the SIP protocol. “Further, Microsoft could allow Windows Live Messenger users to manually enter their existing SIP trunking service provider account info, essentially making Windows Live Messenger a SIP softphone client able to make and receive calls. Microsoft could even do revenue sharing with the SIP trunking service providers.”

 

To read the blog please see here.

One particularly interesting company mentioned by Keating is DIDX. The subsidiary of Super Technologies, is handling the exploding growth in DID, and DDI.

 

The DIDX platform is empowering the world of service providers with local international phone numbers from more than 55 countries in its online marketplace at DIDX.net.  It is a one sign-up away.

 

While most businesses have several incoming telephone numbers used for specific purposes, there is often an individual telephone number for each user in the system. At the same time, home telephones usually each have different pair of wires and for obvious reasons that would not work in the business environment.