NEW YORK - (Business Wire) As communication companies continue to look for new ways to generate revenue with VoIP applications, keep current customers and lure new ones, Blabbelon enters the market and completely changes the rules of the VoIP game. The first browser-based VoIP chat tool using Skype’s SILK super wideband audio codec, as well as one of the first massively multi-user VoIP services, Blabbelon can handle thousands of simultaneous users at a fraction of the cost per user of other traditional services. Blabbelon provides a platform for a wide variety of users such as: gamers securely competing in team-based quests; businesses running 7,000 person global conference calls; or grandparents taunting grandkids over a game of Facebook Scrabble. An HD-quality, push-to-talk VoIP chat service, Blabbelon requires no software downloads or complicated sign-on procedures – users register once, click and talk. With Blabbelon, session leaders can use, create and maintain their own private or public groups through a number of features such as texting, e-mail notifications and privacy management. Users can run Blabbelon in their Web browser, while simultaneously using other online applications – with no impact on their overall network performance, since Skype’s SILK codec was designed to use approximately 50% less network bandwidth than previously required, while delivering improved richness in audio quality.
“Blabbelon is breaking from the trend of using VoIP as a way to simply provide ‘cheaper minutes.’ We’ve created a value-added service that sets a precedent for VoIP to move into areas beyond pure telephony applications and have solved the problem of how to massively scale to include thousands of simultaneous users while still keeping a negligible cost per user,” said Dean Elwood, chief technology strategist, Blabbelon.
Unlike other voice chat services that max out at 300 users, Blabbelon sessions can scale up to more than 7,000 simultaneous users, while still maintaining a low cost business model and offering an easy-to-use portal-style entry. A breakthrough in VoIP services, Blabbelon is ideal for a variety of consumer and business applications, such as e-commerce, online auctions and sales meetings/seminars.
Blabbelon will initially focus on a core audience of the millions of online gamers and players of Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games such as World of Warcraft (WoW). The combination of Blabbelon’s technology and features and the SILK codec provides a perfect tool for this market, which, because of the cooperative nature of games, needs a no-download, high-quality, secure, reliable and scalable voice chat.
“Blabbelon is one of the first third-party developers to take advantage of our SILK codec in order to deliver clearer, richer, and warmer wideband audio to consumers,” added Jin Kim, head of business development and IP licensing for Skype. “Blabbelon’s adaptation of SILK into its Web-based voice chat service clearly demonstrates SILK’s potential for delivering a good user experience across a broad quality of network connections.”
Blabbelon was created by a team led by CEO Ed Ikeguchi, former co-founder of Medidata Solutions (Nasdaq: MDSO); Dean Elwood, CEO of telecom provider Voxygen Limited and chief technology strategist of Blabbelon; and Rowena Rubio, CMO and former systems analyst.
“SILK’s ability to provide super wideband-quality sound using a minuscule amount of bandwidth is a huge accomplishment. We immediately saw the potential this had in building the next-generation of chat services,” said Ed Ikeguchi, CEO, Blabbelon.
Available immediately from www.blabbelon.com, Blabbelon is hosted by Rackspace, ensuring the highest levels of chat stability, quality, security and reliability. Blabbelon offers 100 percent uptime through Rackspace’s worldwide network and zero downtime guarantees.
About Blabbelon
Blabbelon is a free, push-to-talk, private Voice over IP service that helps people gather and communicate. It uses Skype’s SILK codec to deliver super wideband audio quality. Requiring no software downloads and running through a Web browser, Blabbelon is a multi-platform service that is ideal for a wide range of voice needs. Blabbelon is a privately-held company, headquartered in New York City.
For Blabbelon
Laura Flannery, 781-782-5831
Laura_Flannery@lpp.com
