Ex-Ameritech exec launches VoIP company via acquisitions

Dwayne Goldsmith, one-time Ameritech business unit president and primary investor for Fleet Development Ventures, brought his new VoIP venture, Inflexion Communications out of stealth mode this week. Inflexion is a hosted services provider that blends IP communications with the altruism of trying to revitalize under-served markets across the U.S.

Inflexion also announced the first customer for its ExtendIP program. The Detroit Economic Growth Corporation will help the city deploy VoIP communications while using the cost savings resulting from the technology for revitalization programs.

"We launched Inflexion in 2003 with the purpose of building out a VoIP infrastructure…but also we wanted to find a way to take VoIP services not only to the enterprise and government customer, but to the customers that can really benefit from the cost savings the protocol can deliver," said Goldsmith, president and CEO of Inflexion.

Inflexion was built on the acquisitions of three small competitive carriers: EZPhone, Local Lines America and InTouch Communications. Inflexion has three primary markets it plans to address across the 19 states in which it is currently licensed: the small- to medium-sized business market, the pre-paid consumer market and the government market. "We currently have 700 selling our products right now," Goldsmith said.

Inflexion offers a hosted service as part of its Flex IP Product Portfolio, which is supported by a Broadsoft VoIP solution. This allows the company to offer value-added services such as voice-mail to its pre-paid users.

"With the maturity of VoIP and the quality of service parameters being in place, we can for the first time bring differentiation to the market place," Goldsmith said.