XO Moves Into the Clouds

XO Holdings (news, filings) unveiled its entry into ‘cloud communications’ this morning, which is the next generation of its integrated services offerings for the enterprise.  Included are a “wide range of IP telephony features, local and long distance calling, enterprise-wide HD voice and video, network services, and IP phone sets in a communications as a service, per-user pricing model to allow IT administrators to easily deliver and manage voice, video and communications across their enterprise.”  Familiar stuff of course – it’s as much a repackaging as it is an upgrade.  By rebranding, they get to latch onto the ‘cloud’ buzzword – something they are certainly not alone in doing.  The word ‘cloud’ is getting rather diffuse, perhaps we should start calling it a ‘mist’.  Oh well, I digress.

Anyway, XO’s cloud foray comes at a time when we’re still awaiting word on their response to majority shareholder Carl Icahn’s bid to acquire the remaining common shares he doesn’t already own.  I can’t imagine the answer will be yes at this price, even if Icahn orchestrates the whole thing he’ll still have his ‘independent’ directors take the opportunity to demonstrate some backbone for the audience.  What would really shake things up would be for a third party to express interest and make them turn them down again.  But that won’t likely happen, because any real buyers out there know that they won’t get anywhere by prematurely peeing in Icahn’s pool, and they’d have to go through the motions of lining up a bunch of money.

Not that the rest of the company shouldn’t keep on pushing ahead of course.  Cloud Communications here we come.

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Categories: CLEC · Cloud Computing