* Vonage, SBC and Qwest are all aggressive on VoIP services
Seems AT&T isn’t the only one looking to expand its VoIP customer base.
Almost immediately after AT&T cut its CallVantage service by $5, Vonage responded with a near-immediate $5 reduction in its price – keeping the Vonage price $5 lower than the newest AT&T service.
SBC and Qwest have been adding to their business IP telephony portfolios. Recently, SBC announced SBC Unified Communications, an IP-powered unified messaging service crossing wireline and (Cingular) wireless voicemail, fax and e-mail.
Messages are accessible either by phone (using text-to-speech to read e-mail messages) or Internet access (using packetized voice to transmit voicemail). SBC Unified Communications costs $1 to $3 a month extra for SBC unlimited local/long-distance subscribers, and it is $7.95 to $12.95 a month as an a la carte service. At these prices, the service is only a few dollars more than a traditional voicemail service offered by SBC.
Meanwhile, Qwest has expanded its OneFlex VoIP service into 10 new markets in its service area, expanding on the four original cities announced in July. Qwest also said it will expand further this year, with plans to extend service out of region in 12 cities coast-to-coast by year-end.
In its announcement, Qwest said its service offers QoS features, integrated customer premises equipment, international connectivity, network management services, Web-based management tools and more.
