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Vonage Canada and VTech Intro VoIP Phone
TMCnet VoIP Minute Watch Columnist
Vonage Holdings Corp.'s Canadian division, Vonage Canada, a VoIP service provider just teamed up with North American phone manufacturer VTech in order to market the IP8100-2 Broadband Cordless Phone System, the companies announced this week.
The device comes with Vonage's Internet phone service built right in and offers consumers the flexibility of using lower-cost Internet-based phone services throughout their homes with utilizing a array multiple phones in multiple rooms.
"Vonage Canada's agreement with VTech makes using Internet phone service as easy as opening the box and plugging it in," said Joe Parent, vice president of marketing and business development, Vonage Canada. "With the VTech IP 8100-2 Broadband Cordless Phone System, consumers with high-speed Internet access can place multiple handsets anywhere in their home and start making calls over the Internet to anywhere in the world at a low monthly cost."
The device's base plugs into almost any high-speed connection and has integrated technology that eliminates the need to purchase a separate router to connect the Internet phone system. It is packaged with two cordless handsets. Two additional handsets can be purchased separately.
"Consumer interest in Internet phone service is strong," said Gordon Chow, President, VTech Telecommunications Canada. "By building VoIP capabilities directly into the VTech IP8100-2, Vonage Canada and VTech have provided an Internet phone service that is truly plug and play. VTech's stylish, full-featured IP8100-2 phones are a perfect match for Vonage's flat-rate, full-featured Internet phone service, offering consumers simplicity, convenience and value in a complete Internet phone service."
The IP 8100-2 Broadband Phone System has a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $199.99 with a $65 rebate after 60 days of service. Additional handsets can be purchased for $99.99 each. The IP8100-2 is available at The Source by Circuit City and Staples Business Depot retail outlets across Canada with the exception of Quebec.
The company teamed up with VTech and Texas Instruments (TI) to bring the same device to over 8000 retail locations around the U.S. earlier this year, The devices, designed by VTech and bundled with a VoIP chipset by TI, are configured with Vonage's VoIP phone-based service and retail for $149.99 with a $50 mail-in rebate after sixty days of service in the U.S. market. The ip8100-2 is currently being sold at retail locations nationwide, including SAM's Club, Radio Shack, Best Buy, Circuit City, Staples, Fry's Electronics, Office Depot and CompUSA.
The company had already managed to raise a whopping $408 million in venture capital rounds led by Bain Capital, with strong participation from existing investors including New Enterprise Associates (NEA), 3i, Meritech Capital Partners, Institutional Venture Partners, in addition to other investors.
The rumors contradicted public statements released last May. The company had announced it had completed a successful $200-million private financing round, and then told a Red Herring magazine reporter that it had no immediate plans to file for an IPO.
VTech
Vonage Holdings Corporation
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Johanne Torres is contributing editor for TMCnet. To see more articles by Johanne Torres, please visit:
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