Ian Bell the VP of marketing over at eqo (like echo) has spearheaded the launch of their new mobile-centric Skype app. It’s orange, it’s Skype-ish, it’s mobile and it’s cool.
In this interview we talk about the fund raising strategy, the history and the innovation that is eqo.
http://sipthat.com/mp3/skype/Skype-loves-eqo.mp3
Too many people are disconnected from their online buddies when they leave the PC behind, said Bill Tam, CEO of EQO Communications, Our goal is to allow the countless number of online communities worldwide to stay connected using mobile handsets and for users to, virtually, take their buddies with them.
Using a combination of a phone-resident J2ME client and a carrier-grade standards-based signaling network, EQO bridges Skype to more than 150 million J2ME-capable mobile phones already in use worldwide. With more than 227 million downloads and tens of millions of active users, Skype is the dominant player in VoIP and Instant Messaging communications services worldwide. While the company has developed its technology to first work with Skype, EQO intends to extend peer-to-peer communications to mobile devices with other high-profile providers in the near future.
Here is the entire Press Release..
EQO Communications Unveils EQO Mobile Internet Phone Service, Delivering Skype VoIP Calling and Online Buddy Lists to Mobile Devices
Phoenix, AZ and Vancouver, BC, Canada, February 7, 2006 Making its debut today at the DEMO technology conference, EQO Communications (pronounced echo) announced the immediate availability of its EQO Mobile Internet Phone Service for Skype, a new offering that enables individuals to take their Skype buddy lists with them on their wireless phones. With the EQO Mobile Internet Phone Service, users can easily access Skype, view presence and availability of their buddies, and initiate and receive Skype calls from their mobile phone.
Too many people are disconnected from their online buddies when they leave the PC behind, said Bill Tam, CEO of EQO Communications, Our goal is to allow the countless number of online communities worldwide to stay connected using mobile handsets and for users to, virtually, take their buddies with them.
Using a combination of a phone-resident J2ME client and a carrier-grade standards-based signaling network, EQO bridges Skype to more than 150 million J2ME-capable mobile phones already in use worldwide. With more than 227 million downloads and tens of millions of active users, Skype is the dominant player in VoIP and Instant Messaging communications services worldwide. While the company has developed its technology to first work with Skype, EQO intends to extend peer-to-peer communications to mobile devices with other high-profile providers in the near future.
More and more people are using their mobile phone as their primary in fact in some cases their only phone, said Bill Tam, So propagating online identity to such ubiquitous devices makes a lot of sense, and helps people to remain in touch with others and retain control of their communications.
EQO expects its Mobile Internet Phone Service will have particular resonance for young adults and teens worldwide, who increasingly live online-centric lifestyles and communicate via instant messaging networks and within such communities as Yahoo!, MySpace and LavaLife.
The under 25-year-old teen and youth market have consistently established themselves as early adopters of technology, said Marina Amoroso, Wireless/Mobile Analyst at Yankee Group. By broadening online communities to the mobile space, carriers can create market leading services to attract customers, increase usage and reduce churn.
While continuing to innovate and demonstrate efficacy with its freely-downloadable EQO Mobile Internet Phone Service for Skype product, the company will pursue network-level relationships with both online communities and wireless carriers worldwide. Our technology, based around our unique Multi-Service Signaling Gateway, is standards-based and rapidly adaptable said Colin Quon, EQO founder and CTO. We conceived this first product from the ground up to nurture and enhance the respective business models of both wireless carriers and online communities.
About EQO Communications
EQO Communications is a leading developer of technologies and solutions which bridge online communications services across disassociated networks. EQO first launched the EQO Mobile Internet Phone Service for Skype, which extends Skype presence and calling to mobile phones, in February of 2006. EQO is venture-financed by Growthworks Capital and the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). The company is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. For additional information or to download EQO please visit http://www.eqo.com/
