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Microsoft’s existing VOIP partnership with Verizon that allows users of Windows Live Messenger to call contacts using landlines and cell phones is set to terminate in 2008 as had been indicated last year.
According to a spokesperson the dates set for this expiration are:
- July 15, 2008 for EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa)
- August 31st 2008 for the United States
There is no replacement as such that has been announced or hat has come into light so far. Microsoft is on an active look out as to who can take place of Verizon Web Calling in the Windows Live Messenger in the designated regions with an apology for the inconvenience it has or may cause to the customers.
The partnership had been shabby; lacking development, with no mentionable progress in the last 2 years when the service is shown the bin indefinitely. Is there an alternative? There had been reports of Microsoft’s service codenamed, Echoes (Sardar Mohkim Khan and Mary Jo Foley). That explained how the various features are to function with assistance of network operators, in connection to syncing of contacts (to and from mobile devices) and enabling of text messaging to IM conversations. Some of the key features highlighted about the Echoes project are:
- Assigning a local mobile number to each Windows Live contact
- Ability to compose an SMS and place a voice call to the contacts
- That text messages are sent to the Windows Live contacts as chat conversations and the responses sent back are SMS
With no announcement regarding when the service re-initiates and Microsoft integrates itself with some partner for the VOIP platform, Echoes seems to be quite a necessary approach by Microsoft in connection to its Windows Live Wave 4. The problem here is that in such a scenario, Microsoft needs a temporary VOIP provider for a year and a half more keeping in view, shutting down of the service within a month.
