free ad based telephony

callingamerica.com

Calling America is a free telephony service. It is web based and you can call any landline or mobile number in the US free of charge. The user has to watch an advertisement on the web site before the call is connected. The web site uses a flash phone to deliver the media. For unregisterd users the calls are limited to two minutes whereas registered users can place unlimited number of 15 minute max telephone calls.

I like this idea, it is close to what I have done in Gadu-Gadu (Gadu naGłos). Users can place free ad sponsored calls to landline numbers in Poland. Calls are limited to 10 mintes in duration - the caller hears up to 10 seconds advertisement before the call is connected and every 2 minutes once the call is connected both the caller and calle hear up to 3 seconds advertisement interruption. Internet telephony is becoming (is) a commodity - business models based on per minute charges just don't work anymore! Fixed lines are nearly as cheap as VoIP now, for a fixed monthly fee you just dont worry about the costs and dont have to sit by the PC to call. Furthermore mobile calls are cheaper and cheaper, you always have the mobile nearby and is just much damn easier to place the call from your fave mobile. As far as I care the only way to go with your VoIP offering is to boundle it with something that generates dough and give the VoIP for free...