Microsoft joins VoIP crowd

Software giant acquires service provider as market hots up

Microsoft has become the latest vendor to jump on the Voice over IP (VoIP) bandwagon by acquiring service provider Teleo.

The deal will enable Microsoft to add voice capabilities to its MSN messenger service and keep pace with Google and Yahoo.

Blake Irving, corporate vice-president at MSN, said in a statement: “This acquisition opens up infinite opportunities for Microsoft to enable even more relationship-centric communications experiences for our customers in the future.”

Keith Humphreys, managing consultant at EuroLAN, said: “It shows the direction that Microsoft will take MSN, just like the way Google, AOL and Yahoo have gone.”

Andy Bills, senior vice-president of sales for UK and northern Europe at VoIP software vendor Swyx, said: “This acquisition is a reflection of the growing value of voice as an integrated software application.”