iBasis becomes voice juggernaut

Lost amid new merger rumors late last week was the news that shareholders had approved the merger of iBasis and the former wholesale voice unit of KPN, creating what the combined company claims to be the second-largest handler of voice traffic. It would also be the first pure-play VoIP carrier to earn that place in the global pecking order.

Last week, I said pure-play VoIP service providers would have trouble surviving. They will, but there's no mistaking that wholesale carriers of VoIP traffic have a bright future. The future of voice is IP, but the consumer market ultimately will be owned by the telco/cable duopoly.

For more:
- Telephony talks to the CEO of iBasis