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AOL Quick To Cut TotalTalk, But Who Cares? |
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Written by Adam Gosling
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Tuesday, 05 September 2006 |
In a decisive move that demonstrates the apparent trend
toward so called Voice over Instant Messenger applications AOL has announced
that it will cut its TotalTalk VoIP service on November 30.
According to reports the service had only attracted 2000 subscribers
since it was launched last October. It clearly didn't make it through its first
year review.
The service was an analogue adapter service which was positioned
as a home phone replacement.
Times have changed and the main play by the large internet
companies is now to deliver IP Telephony via their respective Instant Messaging
applications [Voice over Instant Messenger or VoIM]. The introduction of cordless
phones that work with personal computers and more recently cordless handsets
that work directly with a home internet gateway, but leverage VoIM services, look
like making ATA (Analogue Telephone Adapters) something of a white elephant.
And while AOL managed only 2000 sign-ups for TotalTalk it
has one of the most extensive IM user bases in the world. Abandoning TotalTalk
must have been an easy decision.
The company's AIM Phoneline [AOL Instant Messenger] service
is about half the age of the TotalTalk service, but is pitched as a replacement
for a second phone line rather than a complete replacement for fixed line
telephony.
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