Until recently the core belief had been that VoIP and mobile operators were like oil and water. In fact even now, Apple will not allow VoIP + cellular applications on their iPhone. Mark Jacobstein, CEO of iSkoot, explains why indeed trying to run VoIP over the cellular data channel doesn’t work technically or as a business model. But now iSkoot software brings the benefits of IP telephony to mobile. Jacobstein describes how iSkoot uses the voice-optimized, circuit-switched network instead of the data channel.
Skype chose iSkoot as the software solution for their 3 Skypephone, the device that won second place for Best Mobile Device at the 2008 Mobile Congress. Now the service is live in eight countries and has been a huge success for iSkoot’s partner operator, becoming an essential customer acquisition tool, and benefiting the operator in that it eliminates termination fees.
Mark Jacobstein is CEO of iSkoot which brings leading internet services like Skype™ to mobile handsets around the world. Mark most recently served as the EVP at Silicon Valley-based loopt, Inc., a ground-breaking social mapping startup backed by Sequoia Capital and New Enterprise Associates. Before joining loopt, Jacobstein was the founding President for Digital Chocolate, one of the world's largest publishers of mobile games, which raised more than $20M in venture capital from Sequoia Capital, KPCB, and Sutter Hill. Mark was also the CEO and founder of Small World Sports, the world's first online fantasy sports business, where he raised more than $20M from Flatiron Ventures, SCP, CCP and NBC before selling the business to Paul Allen's The Sporting News. In addition, Jacobstein co-founded Small World Software, an Internet technology consultancy, which he sold to iXL in 1998. He then served as the SVP of sales and business development for iXL's New York office before its 1999 IPO. Jacobstein studied Computer Science at Harvard University and began his career as a software developer at Bloomberg L.P.
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