TMCnet News
EarthLink Announces New Features to its VoIP ServiceBy TED GLANZER
TMCnet Communications and Broadband Columnist
EarthLink on Monday announced new features to its plug-and-play voice over IP (VoIP) service, trueVoice.
The service, according to a company release, offers cost-savings over traditional telephone service.
Indeed, there are two trueVoice calling plans, Jim Bagnado, director of Earthlink’s voice services group, told TMCnet in a telephone interview: unlimited local and long distance for $24.95; and the basic service, which offers 500 free local and long distance minutes (four cents a minute thereafter) and unlimited local inbound calls for $14.95.
In addition to voicemail, three-way calling and call forwarding, the solution has some nifty new features. Got an ex-girlfriend/boyfriend you’re avoiding? Earthlink truevoice has a feature that enables subscribers, through their myVoice portal, to manage a blocked caller list, which prevents pesky callers from ringing or leaving voicemail messages.
Up to 10 telephone numbers can be blocked at any time, and subscribers can add or delete phone numbers from that list at their convenience.
Also, a subscriber’s address book can be integrated between trueVoice and his or her EarthLink High Speed account.
For an additional $4.95 per month, trueVoice subscribers can sign up for Enhanced Call Forwarding and add up to five additional telephone numbers where they can be reached if they are away from their primary VoIP number. Subscribers, the company said, can control the sequence of which phone rings first, or set a “blast,” in which all phones ring simultaneously.
Customers use a standard router to split their broadband connection between their computer and an ATA supplied by EarthLink free of charge.
Earthlink trueVoice is only available in the geographic areas where 911 services are offered, Bagnado said. To date, those geographic areas cover most metropolitan areas, and 60 million households. EarthLink trueVoice will be available to approximately 70 percent of the households in the United States by the end of December 2005.
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Ted Glanzer is assistant editor for TMCnet. For more articles by Ted Glanzer, please visit:
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