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Tell me something I don't know - Telefónica & Microsoft team up for Live Messenger VoIP

[October 24, 2008]

Tell me something I don't know - Telefónica & Microsoft team up for Live Messenger VoIP

Originally posted on VoIP & Gadgets Blog, here: http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-keating/voip/tell-me-something-i-dont-know---telefonica-microsoft-team-up-for-live.asp.

Just saw a news release put out today that Telefonica and Microsoft have teamed up for Live Messenger VoIP. CNet also picked up this news. Only one problem - on October 2nd, I discovered Microsoft (News - Alert) had added something called "Voype" (a service by Telefonica) to Live Messenger. The article was title "Windows Live Messenger Back in the VoIP game!". In the article I wrote:

Ok, now my head is getting dizzy from the number of times Microsoft Windows Live Messenger/MSN Messenger has had outbound VoIP-to-PSTN calling (2006), then pulling outbound VoIP calling (early 2008), and then putting it back in. Also, I believe it was 2004 when the Messenger client used Net2Phone before they pulled the plug. Well, apparently outbound PSTN dialing using VoIP is back in!

Windows Live Messenger has now teamed up with Telefï¿½nica (News - Alert) to offer VoIP services. Previously Net2Phone and Verizon have had exclusive deals with Micrsoft's Messenger client.

So I already wrote about Microsoft and Telefï¿½nica teaming up over 3 weeks ago. Apparently, it was an undisclosed partnership at the time. Guess it took them awhile to "officially" break the news about the partnership. But my loyal blog readers already knew this. Score another one for the blogosphere!