Ribbit hops into web phone space

A Silicon Valley startup launched a platform aimed at bringing the gap between the web and the traditional telephone on Monday, brandishing the words ‘open’ and ‘VoIP’.

Ribbit is an open platform, which claims to enable non-telephony developers to quickly build rich voice applications and integrate them into web sites, communities and applications.

At the core sits the Ribbit SmartSwitch, which is based on a Lucent-tested Class 5 softswitch and an open Flash/Flex-based API. The company said that it can connect voice from any Flash-enabled browser to the PSTN and VoIP network, as well as providing an assortment of back-office and service delivery infrastructure.

“The world doesn’t need another phone company,” said Ted Griggs, co-founder and CEO of Ribbit. “What it needs is new kind of phone company, one that liberates voice from its current confines – devices, plans and business models – and more readily integrates into the workflow of our professional and personal lives.”

In the first quarter of 2008, Ribbit said it will open its service to consumers and will sell commercial and enterprise packages to developers selling services on the Ribbit platform.

Ribbit believes the small to medium size business market holds special promise and has already announced an integration with salesforce.com.

“It’s a very innovative idea – not only does Ribbit provide developers with a way to easily integrate voice into almost any kind of Web application, they will also provide a platform for testing and selling new services,” said Will Stofega, research manager for VoIP Services at IDC. “Ribbit’s arrival comes at a time when telephony and computing are truly converging.”