Talkster chats up new channel program

Canadian Web communications developer, Talkster, is on the hunt for down-under partners to resell a new service that allows end-users to place calls from ordinary mobile phones to traditional and next-generation voice services like instant messaging and VoIP.

Using Talkster's international network of wireless access points, the service can integrate and manage calling services, provide contact presence and sync with online instant messaging programs to indicate a user's status. The company claims it is the first VoIP service to enable mobile phones to call instant messenger programs such as MSN and Google Talk.

The service also lets people save money on long distance, international and roaming charges over the company's global VoIP network.

"The first step in rolling out this solution is unveiling this network and the capabilities and intelligence we have built into it," Talkster president and chief operating officer, James Wanless, said. "Beyond mobile VoIP and Voice over Instant Messaging [VoIM], Talkster is also demonstrating the ability to use our VoIP network for long distance and roaming cost savings that works in a truly global fashion."

Talkster has primed today's free beta launch of the service (download at www.talkster.com) as an introductory to its enterprise launch, planned for the first half of 2007.

Wanless said the company would be looking for systems integrators, outsourcers and vendors of IP-PBX equipment or hosted PBX services and of enterprise instant messaging services.

Although no formal partner program has yet been organised, Talkster has based its chief financial officer, Ralph Silverman, in Australia and plans to launch an official channel model in sync with the launch of enterprise services.

The proposed program will operate on a tiered foundation, with channel partners taking help desk support roles as tier one partners. Accreditation in the form of gold and silver partner status would be available and accompanied by training, marketing and co-marketing support and technical expertise, Wanless said.