Verizon Communications has unveiled a new Net phone plan designed to lure price-conscious customers.
Dubbed Verizon VoiceWing 500, the plan offers 500 minutes of outbound local and domestic long-distance calls per month, along with unlimited inbound calls and free calls to other VoiceWing subscribers. The service, unveiled Wednesday, costs $19.95 a month.
That's cheaper than the company's higher-end VoiceWing Unlimited plan, which costs $34.95 per month for unlimited calls. (Subscribers to Verizon's DSL service can get it for $24.95 for the first 12 months). Incoming calls are also free with these older plans.
Verizon's move is seen as an attempt to stay afloat in the intensely competitive market for services based on VoIP, or voice over Internet Protocol.
VoiceWing gives subscribers the option of listing their number on a 411 residential directory assistance database. It supports faxing as well; any VoiceWing subscriber who uses a Linksys PAP2 telephone adapter can use the fax service at no extra cost. The service also lets a customer block 20 predetermined phone numbers.
Additionally, subscribers can purchase up to five additional telephone numbers to use for incoming calls--and customers can have their pick of area codes.
"For example, if you have an out-of-town friend or relative who calls you frequently, you can purchase an additional incoming number with their area code. Then every call they make to you will be a local call for them," Michelle Swittenberg, executive director for Verizon's consumer VoIP services, said in a statement.
what verizon doesnt tell you is that if you have dsl from them you have to continue to pay for that line at the basic price of 14.99 and up, pay for your dsl which is 29.99 and up, then you have to pay for voicewing service at 19.99 and up. huh? you are essentially paying for 2 lines now and when i asked the verizon person what the savings were her reply was that the verizon voicewing service was not in place to save customers money but to provide more services. if i didnt want to pay for those services before whats the point. i have basic service now because i use my cell phone for long distance and have plenty of anytime minutes i never max out now so i think verizon is missing the point. there are other internet phone providers that have lower prices for the same services already. if im a verizon customer with verizon dsl why do i have to pay more than if i went to someone like vonage with the same basic plan for 14.99. and by the way if you have verizon dsl you cant use the same number you already have for the internet phone. you must be assigned a totally new number. i was on the phone for about 45 minutes over 2 days and several connections to get all this information.
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