Mark Evans

VON Canada: The "Steve Jobs" of VOIP

Jeff Pulver kicked off VON Canada with a keynote covering everything from his childhood interest - obsession? - with ham radios to his lament on how VOIP is being sold on price rather than features. A particularly intriguing idea is his belief that the VOIP industry's “Steve Jobs” are Skype's Niklas Zennstrom and Digium's Mark Spencer. He suggested, however, their roles as industry pioneers/innovators may not be appreciated in the short term because they are currently seen more as disruptive influences within the telecom industry. “The iPod for communications happens to be Skype,” Pulver said. “Whether we like it or not, it's here.” Wonder whether Zennstrom will return the compliment during his VON Canada keynote later today.