With much less hyperbole than previous benchmark announcements, Vonage said today it now has more than one million lines in service - the press release was all of two sentences. Maybe Vonage has realized there's less interest in pure subscriber numbers without knowing the cost to acquire these customers, how long they stay with the service and how much ARPU they generate. My take is Vonage watchers have become much more sanguine. As a result, its days as the industry rebel and innovator have perhaps disappeared - as has some of the interest in a potential IPO. The new kid of the speculation block is clearly Skype, what with visions of a multi-billion dollar acquisition dancing in the heads of VCs such as Draper Fisher Jurvetson.
Update: There is a difference between "lines" and "subscribers" within the Vonage world. One subscriber can have multiple lines. In Canada, for example, a subscriber pays $39.95 a month for a plan featuring unlimited North American LD and $8 a month for an additional line. Therefore, $47.95 for two lines. That's a big difference from a financial perspective.