Dialpad 2.0
Dialpad (acquired by Yahoo some time back) did two things that attracted millions to its service. It offered a light Java based client which you did not need to download. It was embedded on their website for you to make phone calls. The second factor, obviously much more significant, was the free PC-to-Phone calls. Dialpad was handling hundreds of millions of minutes per month within no time.
I think there are good chances of a company similar to Dialpad re-emerging. The free calls can be supported through audio advertising model, and the Java based client can give way to Flash Phones.
By doing that you are removing two big obstacles. (1) There is no need to download anything since Flash is embedded in most browsers now. (2) End user does not need to worry about whether he has a paid account with you as a VoIP provider or bother about setting up an account in emergency and exchanging credit card details.
The end user should be able to just long in on a webpage and call. No downloads. No payments. That sort of freedom will catalyse your ‘viral marketing’. If the PSTN interconnection rates for certain routes is per minute or high, you could on those routes play ad after every three minutes.
