Verizon jumps into consumer VoIP with VoiceWing

Verizon Thursday joined the VoIP crowd, introducing a service that lets broadband users make unlimited phone calls around the U.S. over a data network.

VoIP converts voice calls into data packets and can transport them along with Web and other data traffic, which generally costs less than using a traditional phone network with dedicated circuits. It also allows service providers to set up new features, such as controlling calls and accessing messages through a PC. Start-ups such as Vonage and Skype pioneered the technology, which is finding growing popularity.

Verizon's VoiceWing service, which transports calls partly over the open Internet, is geared toward consumers and has a basic price of $39.95 per month. Another Verizon VoIP service, geared toward small businesses and enterprises and probably debuting next year, will run over a fully managed network to better ensure call quality, said Michelle Swittenberg, executive director of consumer VoIP product management at Verizon. She did not provide any additional details on the business service.

The entry of Verizon, the largest of the nation's former regional phone carriers and a major provider of broadband service, is a smart move and just the latest sign that VoIP is maturing, according to Yankee Group analyst Jim Slaby.

"Verizon has chosen not to sit there with its hands over its ears and eyes and chanting, 'There is no monster under the bed,' when in fact there is a monster under the bed," Slaby said. VoIP not only introduces a lower cost alternative to traditional phone service but also is bringing cable providers, the archrivals of DSL carriers such as Verizon, into the business, Slaby said.

VoiceWing users will plug their phones into an adapter roughly the size of a videotape and connect that to any broadband Internet connection. When traveling, they can carry the adapter with them and do the same with any conventional phone and broadband connection, Verizon spokeswoman Bobbi Henson said.

Customers can choose phone numbers with area codes from 139 markets in 33 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, Henson said. In addition, they can manage the service from any Internet-connected PC through a Web-based service called the Personal Account Manager. Among other things, it lets users itemize all their calls, play back voice mail by clicking on a link, or direct their calls to be forwarded to any phone number, starting immediately or at a set time.

The service, available throughout the continental U.S., offers unlimited calls within the country and some territories, according to Verizon. International calls are charged per minute, including $0.03 per minute to Canada, $0.04 to the U.K. and $0.21 to India.

In addition to the standard price, the carrier is offering some special deals: For Verizon Online DSL customers, the service costs $34.95 per month, or $29.95 per month for the first six months if customers sign up by Oct. 31. Users of other broadband services can get an introductory price of $34.95 for the first six months if they sign up by Oct. 31. There is a one-time setup fee of $39.95, plus shipping and handling for a free adapter. Verizon is offering a 30-day money-back guarantee.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.