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Voip drives phone costs down
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Telegeography reports that in the first quarter of 2006, wireline subscriptions dropped by 150,000 per week, while voip internet phone subscriptions grew nearly 100,000 per week. It's statistics like these that have the incumbent phone companies running scared. This is good news for consumers since, in the scramble to retain fleeing customers, phone companies have been slashing their prices on calling packages. All hail the voip!
Verizon now offers service at $35 per month, down from a whopping $60 per month. That's a 42% reduction. AT&T has also followed suit by lopping 20% off their rates, so subscribers are seeing a $40 price tag instead of $50. Many phone companies also offer up greatly discounted "keeper" lines if a customer indicates they'll be discontinuing landline use in favor of a stand-alone voip provider.
With voip expected to continue its rapid expansion into the telecom marketplace, the Bells are seeking to offset losses by diversifying their product base, venturing into wireless phone acquisitions, digital television, proprietary voice over IP packages, and DSL high-speed internet connections. Which is a really good idea, since even with the lower prices, stand-alone voip is generally cheaper by at least 60%, when compared to copper line rates.
