Google Voice debuts; now Google can be your telephone provider

Posted Mar 16th 2009 3:50PM by Brian White
Filed under: Rumors, Products and Services, Google (GOOG)

Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) continues to try owning as many communication channels as possible to its customers. After buying unified messaging company GrandCentral a few years ago, the largest internet search company is has morphed that service into "Google Voice." Google Voice lets you can place free phone calls to anywhere (from anywhere) in the U.S. where you have internet access.

Google Voice customers can also get a free 10-digit telephone number that can forward calls to a whole host of personal numbers (work, home, mobile) so that all incoming calls can be directed to the most appropriate number to reach you. Can't answer? Google will transcribe voicemail into an email and send it to you that way. For free.

It's unclear how Google is going to monetize this service, which is expected to roll out within a few weeks from today. Although Google will charge a low fee for international calls placed over its Google Voice service, there has to be more to the revenue stream than just that -- or perhaps not. Google really isn't spending a whole host of cash to provide this service (it's already paid for GrandCentral), so perhaps this is more of a "sticky customer" product more than a pure revenue generator. Still, Google's march to own as many direct communication lines to customers (email, search, phone, etc.) will continue with this service (if only the company can get millions of people to use it).

Tags: GOOG, Google, Google Voice, GoogleVoice, GrandCentral, Inc., VoIP

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

3-17-2009 @ 9:57PM

Brian said...

I wish I had a google voice invite :(
probrian(at)gmail(dot)com

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