Vonage Hit With Service Outage
Om Malik is quick to report that Vonage is suffering from a huge service outage. Apparently, people can get a dial-tone but can't make calls. As well, Vonage's Web site appears to be down. The complaints can be found on the Vonage Forum. Vonage isn't saying what's going on but it did send a message to customers:
“At this time, some customers may be experiencing difficulty placing outbound calls. Also, access to our website may be slow or intermittent for a short time. Our engineers are aware of the issue and working on a prompt resolution. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”
With the cablecos driving harder than ever into VOIP, Vonage can ill afford to have any service outages and, more important, extensive news coverage of service outages. Maybe it's just me but I'm beginning to get the feeling that Vonage is becoming more vulnerable to competition and this new reality could soon be reflected in its rate of growth. While the company has plenty of cash in the bank after raising another round of private equity, its prospects for an IPO or sale seem to be dimming by the day. Perhaps I'm paranoid but Vonage doesn't have the buzz it once had, and perhaps its time has come and gone. Skype would be wise to learn from Vonage's experience.
