VentureBeat

Ribbit injects voice into Google Wave release

Ribbit, one of the earliest web-based telephone services (acquired last year by British telecom giant BT), plans to ride Google Wave’s coattails — announcing the integration of several gadgets allowing voice calls, phone conferencing, text messaging and voicemail transcription into the search engine’s new, much-hyped communication platform.

These services, available in the limited beta release going live tomorrow, are meant to introduce voice as a major pillar of net communications, along with email, social networks and… Continue Reading

Ribbit launches its web phone platform

Ribbit, the web phone company recently acquired by BT for $105 million, has opened its developer platform to the general public. Although the Mountain View, Calif. company makes useful applications like the recently-updated Ribbit for Salesforce, the most exciting part of its technology is the platform, which promises to allow anyone to add phone capabilities to their web applications.

The platform has been in beta testing for the last few months, and there are already more… Continue Reading

BT buys Ribbit for $105M

BT, the dominant British telecommunications company, has acquired Ribbit, a company that has styled itself “Silicon Valley’s first phone company,” for $105 million.

VentureBeat first heard news of the deal in July and reported it. At the time, the company’s spokesman Don Thorson adamantly denied that any deal had happened, but it was clear something was up. Today, the company confirmed the amount of the deal.

This is an impressive performance for Ribbit, which first launched in… Continue Reading

Source: Ribbit, “Silicon Valley’s first phone company,” bought by BT [Updated: Confirmed]

Updated with a response from the company.

Ribbit, a company that has styled itself “Silicon Valley’s first phone company,” has been purchased by BT, the dominant British telecommunications company, we’re hearing.

[Update: A company spokesperson has gotten back to us denying that there’s been an acquisition. However, the company wouldn’t comment on whether or not acquisition talks were taking place. There are a few possibilities here. One is that it my source (and I) are completely wrong… Continue Reading

BT invests in WiFi community start-up, FON

UK’s phone giant BT has invested in the WiFi router start-up FON, in an effort to cover the UK with what they proclaim will be the “world’s largest WiFi community.”

BT has more than 3 million broadband customers. Under the deal, BT will “invite” customers to join FON’s service, but its it not clear why they’d have the incentive to do so. WiFi ventures recently have proven disappointing. There’s lots of competition from 3D broadband providers… Continue Reading

BT to mesh with FON?

BT, the giant UK carrier, is on the verge of wrapping up a deal with the Spanish start-up FON, which will let BT customers make cheap calls on FON WiFi hotspots.

Reports about the talks surfaced here (and this story has good details), and a source close to FON tells VentureBeat the deal is near complete.

It is significant, because FON’s routers will give BT Fusion mobile customers a way to share access to their home WiFi… Continue Reading