AT&T Unveils New VoIP Service > What is the point?

reply to Camelot One

Re: What is the point?

reply to fiberguy
unless they plan to get rid of the copper

reply to dr3yec
I used Skypeout, at $16/year, and it worked very well.
Downside: You don't get a phone number - only skype users can call you.
Upside: Unlimited Canada/US calling.
--
Canada = Hollywood North

reply to fiberguy

said by fiberguy
I would expect Cable to sell a voip product over a switched one because of the nature of their service. But, for a PHONE company to want to go VOIP over their copper switched service is beyond me. Still, I have to say, to them, phone is phone. Since they control the line, as comcast and cable claims, I see no difference. For some at&t consumers, they will get a better sounding call and less static as well. Still, the price? eh.. can live with out it.
[/BQUOTE :

Because telco switches are being upgraded to session switches and the like. You can take a 200x200ft dms switch with over 200 DTC's and 100 DTCI's, not including a few SPM's tossed in, replace it with 3 bays the size of a double wide frig and accomplish the same task plus everything is broken down into IP, which ends up being cheaper for hardware and upkeep. Plus, you can have soft switches all over, at other POP sites and switches where everything goes by fiber requiring less eqp over all. IP doesn't care what medium it travels on, as long as it gets there. The days of the DMS 100, 250 and 300 are history. Make room for the Nortel session switches and equivalent.

reply to dr3yec
You think $39.95 / year is cheap? I pay zero per year for incoming and outgoing calls throughout the US and Canada.

And the voice quality is excellent and the service has been very reliable for the past 6 months that I have used it.

How is it infinitely cheap? Simple, I got an account with grandcentral.com and a free number where my relatives live.

Then I got account with Gizmoproject.

Both the grandcentral and gizmoproject accounts are free.

Then I set up grandcentral to forward calls made to my number to gizmoproject, and set up gizmoproject to forward calls directly to my ata.

So when someone calls the grandcentral number, my ata receives the call and there is no charge for anyone.

When I want to call out, I go the grandcentral address book at their website in my account, and click on the 'call' button next to the number I want to call.

Grandcentral tells gizmoproject to call my phone, and, when I pick up, grandcentral connects to the number I am calling.
No charge.

reply to fiberguy
Sounds like the grocer that has a 40% off this weeks price sale.

Those 3 dollars pizzas are only 2.50 but at this weeks prices your save MORE.

It gets em/us every time.

CableVoip has a business model based, in part, on regulatory constructs. Most Cable was circuit switched two years ago.

ATT is responding to the game. Kill the circuit switch to take advantage of the new construct.

ATT wins, price the same or slightly less as the competitor for IP based voice services in an unregulated environment (it isn't considered telephone service).

The PHONE company hasn't been pure copper based voice switched any more than the Cable company has been pure coax based video switched....they have both, as you know, they've pushed fiber deeper into the network.

Frankly, once either of them have the ability to provide internet access at any reasonable speed, both can avoid the dedicated circuit switch for origination (maybe termination) purposes. Fiber or not..wireless via any tech provides the same ability, no? It's all a matter for the accountants, engineers and MBAs to fight out.

Then again...I'd argue it's all political...it is all price regulated or not. Both the telcos and cable companies have their crosses to bear at the expense (or benefit) of their monopolies. The only thing I'll give to the latter is that they were at least able to build a business on the idea that over the air tv couldn't occur with a "community access antenna". Both business models suck, but both are winning in America. We sell out cheap

reply to NY Tel
Someone is making money here....GC may never need to charge if they stay below the radar

said by NY Tel:

This will work until Grand Central begins charging to connect these types of calls. It is stated in the Beta TOS that eventually, they will charge a "fee" for outgoing connections.
For now, enjoy the calls. I also have a similar setup minus the spinning propeller on my head.

reply to Old_Grouch
Not sure how Indy works, but given that the cable companies are basically giving away voice through discounts, you'd think the telco's would give away video.

I don't think the telco's can give away video...but I do think the cable companies can give away voice. Video value comes at a cost, from the provider (studios, networks). Voice value comes at a cost, free, from the provider, the person you are talking too. Cellular companies have sort of capitalized on that by charging both parties, generally.

Think about how you can profit based on the cost.

I'm guessing the least cost route if the telephone customer that doesn't pay to receive calls if it doesn't cost the provider to terminate the call. Video is certainly driven in a large part by the video providers. How do the access providers drive the video distribution down in the same way that itunes did to the more boring part of the music industry?

reply to NY Tel

said by NY Tel:

said by xsiddalx:

Someone is making money here....GC may never need to charge if they stay below the radar

said by NY Tel:

This will work until Grand Central begins charging to connect these types of calls. It is stated in the Beta TOS that eventually, they will charge a "fee" for outgoing connections.
For now, enjoy the calls. I also have a similar setup minus the spinning propeller on my head.

Yes, I know they do make money with all of the termination charges/fees/etc. etc. but I can't imagine someone won't want to "double dip" and get re-reimbursed from the carriers AND the end users. It is the way of the old "Bell System"...