From Russell Shaw:
Does SunRocket’s sudden close show more VoIP regulations needed? by ZDNet’s Russell Shaw — When last week’s failure of SunRocket left some 200,000 subscribers scrambling for an alternative home phone service, many saw this as the free market at work. Free market as in, survival of the fittest, and the availability of other choices waving discounts to former SR customers as the wisdom of the markets. A somewhat contrarian view [...]
Another article on the SunRocket VoIP deal with GE:
SunRocket
Inc., an Internet phone upstart from Vienna, has struck a joint marketing deal with electronics giant Thomson Inc. to roll out GE-branded cordless phones capable of making calls over the Internet.
The deal announced Friday is an important one for the two-year-old SunRocket, which will provide the Internet service for the new phones.
Providers of Internet phone service, such as Vonage, SunRocket and 8×8, have been steadily attracting customers with unlimited calling plans and lower rates than traditional telephone service. But to break out, they must tap the mainstream market. All three have been trying to do that by partnering with telephone manufacturers to boost their brands’ name recognition and credibility.
"It’s exciting to work with a company that has such a major presence in landline phones," said Lisa Hook, SunRocket’s chief executive. "The GE brand is iconic. It’s like the really nerdy girl being picked to dance by the quarterback."
Other providers are taking the same approach. Vonage, the largest Internet-calling service provider, has partnered with VTech Holdings Ltd. to produce Internet-compatible telephones. Similarly, 8×8 has entered an agreement with Uniden America Corp.
SunRocket one of the nation’s fastest-growing Internet phone service providers, today announced that Thomson, Inc., licensee of the GE brand for telephony products and the world’s largest manufacturer and distributor of landline phones, will enter into an agreement to explore various promotional activities to expand the presence of SunRocket’s VoIP services. The agreement also includes the development of future GE branded product(s) that will leverage various feature capabilities available through SunRocket Internet phone service.
"Thomson’s reputation for reliable, easy-to-use consumer telephony products has no equal in the minds of millions of consumers, which is why SunRocket is thrilled they have selected us to launch some of these next generation network products into the residential Internet phone service market," said Lisa Hook, president and chief executive officer at SunRocket. "From the beginning, we have prided ourselves on delivering consumer-friendly Internet phone service at an unprecedented value, so our relationship with Thomson to market SunRocket’s service is a natural fit."
