AT&T launches voice for U-Verse

AT&T  is testing out its new U-Verse voice services by making them available to all current U-Verse customers in the San Antonio area.

U-Verse, the IPTV service that AT&T first launched two years ago to compete with traditional cable companies, now will offer voice, wireless, broadband and television services to customers living in San Antonio, the company says. U-Verse's voice service will go directly over the company's U-Verse network, not over the public Internet.

The company says the U-Verse voice services will have several new features, including the ability to combine customers' VoIP service with AT&T wireless voice mail, a "U-Verse Central" online management portal that lets customers manage call preferences and voice mail from their personal computers, a click-to-call feature that initiates calls to any number within customers' call history logs, and a "Locate Me" feature that lets customers receive simultaneous rings on four wireless or landline numbers. Additionally, AT&T says that unlike some VoIP services, U-Verse voice customers will have direct access to their local 911 network.

AT&T will offer two U-Verse voice plans. U-Verse Voice Unlimited costs $40 a month and will include unlimited local and nationwide minutes to any location in the United States or Canada. U-Verse Voice 1000 will cost $30 a month and will include 1,000 call minutes to anywhere in the United States. Customers also can add a second line to their U-Verse voice service for $20 a month.

AT&T estimates that U-Verse currently has 549,000 subscribers nationwide. The company began offering U-Verse packages to small businesses earlier this year, although the company has yet to offer an enterprise-grade version of the service.