I'm going to play with the the beta 2 version of IE7 but ran into an installation problem when the validation process wouldn't work because I'm using Firefox. Not that the work-around was difficult but.....

As we anxiously await Google's fourth-quarter results later this afternoon, VoIP Inc. disclosed an intriguing agreement to provide Google with Internet telephony services. When asked about the deal, VoIP founder and corporate strategist Steve Ivester  said he was unable to disclose the specifics. Instead, CTO Shawn Lewis said one could read into what Google may be doing by looking at the services that VoIP offers to carriers, cablecos and CLECs. These include the ability to terminate and originate calls, phone numbers, 911 and 800 services, and unified messaging. In other words, VoIP provides the back-end technology while its partners, which include PacWest and Broadwing, can focus on marketing and sales. So how does that fit into Google and, presumably, its Google Talk service? Perhaps Google Talk will be beefed up to become more Skype-like with SkypeIn and SkypeOut-like services as well as access to 911 and 800 service. As it now stands, Google Talk is not the most thrilling or compelling service in the world unless you're a die-hard Google user. If Google is serious at telephony, then Google Talk needs a serious make-over. Maybe the deal with VoIP Inc. is a sign of things to come.

Update: Here's an interview that Rich Tehrani did with Ivester last year and a story by Light Reading two years ago.

The number consumer VoIP subscribers is expected to more than triple to 55 million by 2009 from 15 million in 2005, according to InStat. Oddly enough, the research firm believes VoIP still had a low profile among consumers last year, even though the market grew by 62%. InStat said the expected growth will be driven by competition in the broadband and new entrants such as Google and eBay. In another study, Waterloo, Ont.-based Sandvine found that 53% of VoIP minutes in North America were service provider-branded (cablecos, carriers) while Vonage had 21.% market share and Skype 14.4%. In Europe, 51.2% of minutes with service provider-branded while Skype had 45% share.

The hounds are starting to bark louder at the net neutrality door in Canada if a recent Montreal Gazette story is any indication. Most telling - and troubling - are comments made by Telus spokesman Shawn Hall who said the Burnaby, B.C.-based carrier is looking at QoS fees, as well as hitting online service providers such as Google and eBay with downstream tollgate fees for using its network (sounds a lot like SBC and BellSouth, doesn't it?). Meanwhile, cableco Rogers Communications concedes its "shapes" traffic (a.k.a. prioritizes) - something that BitTorrent and iTunes users have long suspected. The Gazette story, which touches upon many of the same issues that I covered in National Post story last month, is just more evidence North American broadband service providers are serious about changing the rules to offset the loss of local telephone revenue to cablecos, Vonage and Skype. If the FCC and CRTC don't step into the breach, the whole idea of net neutrality could soon disappear and broadband service providers will be laughing all the way to the bank.

Update: Here's what (hat tip to Good Morning Silicon Valley) from AT&T CEO Ed Whitacre told the Financial Times on this company's approach to net neutrality. It's very clear and troubling: "We have to figure out who pays for this bigger and bigger IP network. We have to show a return on our investments. I think the content providers should be paying for the use of the network -- obviously not the piece from the customer to the network, which has already been paid for by the customer in Internet access fees -- but for accessing the so-called Internet cloud. If someone wants to transmit a high quality service with no interruptions and 'guaranteed this, guaranteed that,' they should be willing to pay for that."