FREETALK and 13 other companies reportedly announced the formation of the FREETALK Connect Alliance. This open alliance is expected to provide innovative applications, products and services to expand the capabilities of the FREETALK Connect communications system.

The company announced the new alliance at Technology Marketing Corporation’s ITEXPO (News - Alert) East 2010, which concluded today at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami, Fla.

 

The alliance is designed to be open to companies that offer products and services which build on the capabilities of the FREETALK Connect, “Voice 2.0” in concept, and can interoperate with Asterisk, Skype (News - Alert), SIP, Skype for SIP or the PSTN.

With FREETALK Connect, users can enjoy simplified set up that does not require technical savvy to gain access to quick and simple use. Supported telephones are plugged into the company’s network and the solution automatically detects and configures them.

An on-screen wizard is provided to guide the user through a few business-related questions that are designed to help with the configuration of the company’s communication system. It also enables Skype calling from every supported desktop phone in the office.

Expected to open the door for many new developers and service providers, the FREETALK Connect Alliance will also enable cloud computing and Internet communications providers to offer new and innovative applications, products and services for businesses of any size.

The charter members of the FREETALK Connect Alliance include: AbbeyNet/Sitofono (Italy), Cloudvox (U.S.), FlatPlanet Phone Company (Israel), FREETALK (Spain), IfByPhone (U.S.), In Store Solutions (Hong Kong), Iotum/Calliflower (Canada), Jazinga (Canada), Skype (Luxembourg), Tatung (Taiwan), Thomas Howe's Light and Electric (U.S.), Voxeo (U.S.), Voxygen (UK) and Voxbone (Belgium).

'The FREETALK Connect Alliance members are building an entire ecosystem of products, applications and services around the FREETALK Connect communications system,' Andrew Hansen, B2B manager at FREETALK, said in a statement.

'The Alliance's products and services build on, and powerfully leverage, the strengths of each other, and the market reach of the extremely affordable, fully featured and self-configuring FREETALK Connect.'

In Store Solutions reportedly announced earlier this week that it has unveiled  FREETALK Connect, a communications system designed to help small- and medium-size business owners get Skype calls from supported office phones.