On its official launch, the Mountain View-based Ribbit Corporation announced that the company has unveiled a technology platform that will let developers put Web telephony in everything from business software to popular social network sites such as Facebook. The company calls itself “Silicon Valley’s first phone company.

The company also unveiled some of the first applications from its partner and 600-plus developer community, including integration with salesforce.com.

The company stated that the Ribbit Smart Switch software serves as an interface between anything from Web sites, e-mail and instant messaging to mobile or regular phones. The technology is designed to work through virtually any Flash-enabled browser and from any mobile or fixed location with an Internet connection.

In addition, consumers will have the option of using Ribbit's AIR iPhone software interface, which mimics the look and features of Apple's popular iPhone handset. The Ribbit's platform will even transcribe user voicemail into text messages.

Ribbit's announcement comes as the idea of opening up phone networks, which have long been tightly controlled by network operators, such as AT&T Inc and Verizon Communications, for the wider developer community gains momentum.

Ted Griggs, CEO and co-founder, Ribbit Corp. said, "The world doesn't need another phone company. What it needs is a 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. We've been working hard these first two years to put together the right team, technology, and business model to meet this opportunity, and we're finally ready to go to market."

He claims that the Ribbit Smart Switch has been certified by Alcatel-Lucent for use in its networks, can connect to legacy telephone networks as well as work with advanced protocols such as the session initiation protocol (SIP) popular in voice-over IP environments. The product also handles normal telco operations such as billing.

According to Sources, Ribbit for Salesforce will ship in February, which will cost $ 25 a month per person and be available to Salesforce.com.