AOL To Launch VOIP Within A Month
AOL is set to launch a VOIP service in a bid to bring packet-based calling technology to the mass market.
Source: Tech WorldThe company's CEO Jonathan Miller said that the service, AOL Internet Phone Service, would use the "buddy list" facility to show a subscriber whether friends were currently available. The service would be rolled out first to AOL members in limited locations and over time made available to the mass market, Miller said.
Pricing will be tiered, and the company will disclose it at a later time, said spokeswoman Anne Bentley.
The entry of AOL would bring one of the biggest companies associated with consumer Internet service into a market that in the past several months has been joined by major providers of DSL and cable modem services in North America. AOL already has a commercial VOIP service in Canada and has an ongoing trial in the US, Miller said AOL research shows consumer awareness and use of VOIP is still low, but he believes that over time, AOL can draw upon its experience in popularising the Internet for ordinary consumers.
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