While we had been discussing a lot about VoIP players like Skype and Vonage, we virtually ignored Net2Phone, one of the oldest players in the bazaar.



In this short piece, I will discuss the real value of Net2Phone.



1. Old brand. Known to places for a long time where Internet telephony is not yet legal, nonetheless people using it. Like in India, virtually every cyber cafe that provides Internet telephony, Net2Phone is a popular service and had been since quite a few years now. So when companies like Skype are entering newer markets like Asian markets, they would find the presence of Net2Phone already!



2. Net2Phone is a part of MySpace, the most popular community builder. So when we talk about Voice 2.0 and building communities, Net2Phone has the advantage here. In fact, Russell Shaw writes in his blog;

I keep on thinking about Net2Phone as a component of MySpace.com. What a shot in the arm for social networking! And because MySpace is owned by News Corp., I envision the conglomerate’s powerful multimedia marketing machine really pushing Net2Phone, driving subs and valuations higher.

3. Rupert Murdoch factor. Net2Phone can be incorporated in the businesses owned by the Media Moghul. Imagine a Net2Phone click to call button on each of Rupert Murdoch’s online news properties! Example a scenario where you can connect directly to an advertiser in one of his online classifieds sections through Net2Phone!



4. Russell Shaw wonders if it can do better than sub $1000 a subscriber as it turns out to be so without even factoring in the contractual valuations. I would definitely say YES. It can do better because of the above reasons. Besides, due to the above factors, I really see the number of subscribers increasing substantially in the coming future.