Level 3 Communications, Speakeasy Partner to Offer Residential VoIP Solution

Level 3 Communications Inc. and broadband provider Speakeasy have partnered to offer Level 3's HomeTone residential VoIP phone service to Speakeasy’s customers in 120 markets nationwide, Level 3 announced today at the VON Conference & Exhibition in Boston.

Using Level 3's residential VoIP solution, Speakeasy now offers local and long-distance telephone service, including 911 and E911, under the product name Speakeasy Voice. Its customers will be able to make and receive unlimited local and long-distance phone calls for a flat rate and use any existing analog touch-tone telephone or digital IP telephone. The VoIP service is also coupled with Speakeasy’s VQ technology, an "end-to-end" managed broadband phone service that prioritizes voice traffic over data traffic to prevent call quality from being affected by other online activities.

"Level 3 gives us the broadest nationwide coverage for 'true' 911 and E911, fully featured and regulatory compliant voice capabilities and extensive interconnection with the traditional phone network," says Bruce Chatterley, president and CEO of Speakeasy, in a statement.

A recent Yankee Group report expects the U.S. VoIP market to grow from 131,000 subscribers at the end of 2003 to more than 1 million subscribers by the end of this year, and reach 17.5 million U.S. households four years from now.

Features of Speakeasy Voice include caller ID, call waiting, last call return, voice mail and directory assistance. Additionally, the system’s 911 service is fully integrated with local Public Safety Answering Points to provide name, address and phone number information for proper emergency dispatch. HomeTone supplies these building blocks while Speakeasy controls end-user features without implementing interconnection arrangements.

The product is available to Speakeasy broadband subscribers for a $40 installation fee with free unlimited calling to the United States and Canada for the first three months for customers who sign up for the service by December 31, 2004. After that, Speakeasy Voice service is $29.95 per month.

Share this article: Email, Slashdot, Digg, Del.icio.us, Yahoo!MyWeb, Windows Live Favorites, Furl
Add this article feed to: RSS, My Yahoo, Newsgator, Bloglines