Intel are currently showing an interest in Internet Telephony. On the one hand they’re sponsoring Mothers day calls via Skype for US and Canadian residents with the Mother’s Day Gift of Gab promotion. Billed as “A full day to make free
global calls. Love, Intel & Skype” it’s a great way to get the Intel brand awareness raised.
Now news has broken that they’re investing in a direct competitor to Skype – Jajah. The Times reports the investment to be $15 million and it’s said that Jajah will also have access to Intel patented technology as part of the deal.
Jajah differs from Skype in that you enter your own telephone number, and that of the person you’re calling and both yours and their telephone will ring to set up the call. Quality is poorer than Skype as there are two conversions – phone line to IP and back again. SkypeOut only has a single IP to phone line conversion.
Jajah is currently offering free calls between registered users regardless where in the world they’re located. They aim to build a community of 50 million users before monetising the service. I’m not so sure Intel are making a great investment here – eBay are still to see significant returns on their investment in Skype, and Jajah has nothing different to offer to make it a better prospect.
