Mark Evans calls it interesting. I call it a sign that there’s more trust in 8 x 8 than with Vonage.
In the deal with Bell South (which is a trial I hear) 8×8 has demonstrated that they can win a big deal.
They also have their E-911 act down better it would seem. Chairman Bryan Martin told me that “all BellSouth Digital Phone Service customers will have E911 support. BellSouth Digital Phone Service is sold only in areas where E911 connectivity is available. Customers will be able to move their service location if the new location also has E911 support for the service.”
I would say the difference was at the time the deal was done that Vonage didn’t really project a clear picture about how 911 would work. That and the fact that BellSouth didn’t want to work with any small players or the guys fueling the cable industry’s telco plays, Sprint and Level3.
One other thought. Since BellSouth and AT&T are partners in Cingular, don’t rule out a run by AT&T execs to sell in CallVantage via BellSouth in the future.
Mike @ TechDirt reminds us that this is not the first time BellSouth tried the VoIP route. Seems they did have one dance with Vonage a few years back.
P.S. Thanks for the props Mark.