IBasis, Openwave team for unified messaging

IBasis and Openwave Systems today announced a relationship under which iBasis will become Openwave's global ASP partner offering enhanced communications services mostly to wireless carriers.

Together, the companies plan to sell and market iBasis' VoCore solution extended with Openwave unified messaging capabilities. Combined, the new platform will offer a variety of hosted services including e-mail, voice mail, faxmail, mobile phone synchronization, and personal contact management.

"We expect to be able to leverage our ibasis unified messaging centers that are already deployed," said Ofer Gneezy, president and CEO of iBasis.

(Telephony) Separately, iBasis announced that fourth quarter 2000 revenue had reached $20.67 million, an increase of 172% over fourth quarter 1999 revenue. Driving the growth was a record 20.7 million minutes of use on the iBasis network. Pro forma basic and diluted net loss for the fourth quarter was 59 cents per share.

For the full year 2000, revenue totaled $61.22 million, more than triple the company's full year 1999 revenue of $19.42 million. Net loss for the full year 2000 was $62.29 million, or a net loss of $1.85 per basic and diluted share compares to a net loss of $21.09 million in 1999.

Despite the increase in net loss, Gneezy said the company had achieved its basic objectives including growing its gross profit margin.

"I believe it’s no longer a debate on whether voice will move into the Internet. It’s not a matter of how fast."