dslreports logo
 story category
Here Comes FiOS Digital Voice
Verizon to market new VoIP product in 2009

Since last Summer, our forum users have been noticing that Verizon has been cooking up a new, enhanced VoIP offering named Verizon Digital Voice. The telco has deployed the new service in limited Virginia and Maryland markets since September, but now Multichannel News indicates that the company will market the service across the 14-State FiOS footprint starting early next year. Note this isn't VoiceWing, which was launched in 2004 and is no longer being marketed. The new service touts considerably more features:

quote:
Click for full size
FiOS Digital Voice includes standard features like caller ID and voicemail, and provides Web access to messages. It also has enhanced capabilities that aren’t available with traditional phone services, such as scheduled call-forwarding (also known as “follow me”), the ability to ring multiple phone numbers simultaneously (e.g., both home and mobile phone), phone-book synchronization and click-to-dial.
It looks like both AT&T and Verizon are ready to really embrace VoIP, something they'd steered away from for fear of cannibalizing already dying landline businesses. As we were the first to report, AT&T also has a new VoIP product in the works that will replace their CallVantage service. Several AT&T employees have told us there is a new, "BYOB" (bring your own broadband) VoIP product being cooked up in the AT&T pipeline.

There's no pricing yet announced on Verizon's new offering, but the telco says pricing will be in line with Verizon’s current calling plans. Verizon also says that the service "will be marketed primarily as part of multiservice bundles." Our regular users have posted Verizon's own documents from early FiOS Digital Voice test markets showing the service costs an unimpressive $44.95 per month, but Verizon is calling those prices "speculative."

"We’ve been trialing this service this year and expect to launch in some markets soon," Verizon spokesperson Bobbi Henson confirms to me, though the company doesn't have an official announcement to make yet. "This is not really focused so much on retention as it is on offering FiOS customers a voice service that leverages the FTTP network to bring them new features," says Henson. "It’s the natural next step in our FiOS bundle."
view:
topics flat nest 

joe01880
join:2007-10-26
Wakefield, MA

1 recommendation

joe01880

Member

Why get it

If there is not price advantage to current land line service why get it?

morbo
Complete Your Transaction
join:2002-01-22
00000

morbo

Member

Re: Why get it

all that extra VALUE! think of the time saved with BUNDLING!
Hajman
join:2001-12-17
Newtown Square, PA

1 recommendation

Hajman to joe01880

Member

to joe01880
said by joe01880:

If there is not price advantage to current land line service why get it?
Answer: VOIP features (like simultaneous ring) that are not available to landline customers. If Verizon is able to deliver the quality and reliability of landline services, VOIP features and bundled pricing that is the same or less than their current bundled pricing, digital voice will be superior to landline service.

PGHammer
join:2003-06-09
Accokeek, MD

PGHammer

Member

Re: Why get it

said by Hajman:

said by joe01880:

If there is not price advantage to current land line service why get it?
Answer: VOIP features (like simultaneous ring) that are not available to landline customers. If Verizon is able to deliver the quality and reliability of landline services, VOIP features and bundled pricing that is the same or less than their current bundled pricing, digital voice will be superior to landline service.
Features may be one thing; however, nobody changes providers based on features alone. Worse, they still have to compete (in most areas, heads-up) with other VOIP providers, and especially Comcast Digital Voice, which is one of the leading culprits in VZ losing residential landlines (oddly enough, the largest culprit is VZW, as cell-only adoption, especially among younger households, and retired baby-boomers, is growing in the current economic climate). Just as VZ had to step up and compete with Comcast on price in TV, they will have to do the same thing if they are going to get serious about VOIP. (Naturally, they run the risk of causing even faster landline losses as existing VZ Freedom Essentials customers that have been, or will soon be, migrating to FIOS, migrate to VOIP.)

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5 to joe01880

Premium Member

to joe01880
said by joe01880:

If there is not price advantage to current land line service why get it?
Integrated services that can tie internet; voice; TV functions together in a pkg.
It also has enhanced capabilities that aren’t available with traditional phone services, such as scheduled call-forwarding (also known as “follow me”), the ability to ring multiple phone numbers simultaneously (e.g., both home and mobile phone), phone-book synchronization and click-to-dial.
Plus more to come along - like scheduling DVR recordings from a phone call. Sending email msgs using voice to text translators, etc.

n2jtx
join:2001-01-13
Glen Head, NY

n2jtx to joe01880

Member

to joe01880
said by joe01880:

If there is not price advantage to current land line service why get it?
Exactly! Plus with Verizon being "The Phone Company" you are still stuck with all of those pesky fees and nuisance charges just like cable and their video service. The best solution is to get voice from the cable company, video from the phone company and flip a coin for internet.

mystryfiostk
join:2008-07-17
00000

mystryfiostk

Member

Re: Why get it

said by n2jtx:

said by joe01880:

If there is not price advantage to current land line service why get it?
Exactly! Plus with Verizon being "The Phone Company" you are still stuck with all of those pesky fees and nuisance charges just like cable and their video service. The best solution is to get voice from the cable company, video from the phone company and flip a coin for internet.
Have you seen what the cable companies charge for unbundled voip?

Last I checked, around here Comcast VOIP a la carte was $60!

Slidetbone
Mazin Go
Premium Member
join:2002-11-10
Land O Lakes, FL

Slidetbone to n2jtx

Premium Member

to n2jtx
said by n2jtx:

Exactly! Plus with Verizon being "The Phone Company" you are still stuck with all of those pesky fees and nuisance charges just like cable and their video service. The best solution is to get voice from the cable company, video from the phone company and flip a coin for internet.
I don't think so. I believe VoIP is not regulated like analog POTS, so those fees you speak of apply only for analog POTS.

If that is the case, then bundling with Verizon will make more sense. Best broadband, best TV and best digital voice...well, when DV becomes available and passes scrutiny .

meh37
@verizon.net

meh37

Anon

Re: Why get it

said by Slidetbone:
"I believe VoIP is not regulated like analog POTS..."

yet. Federal, state, and local governments have been slowly migrating "land-line" fees over to VoIP; eventually, I don't doubt that govt. will try to move all such fees to every voice service, regardless of how it's delivered.

n2jtx
join:2001-01-13
Glen Head, NY

n2jtx to Slidetbone

Member

to Slidetbone
said by Slidetbone:

I don't think so. I believe VoIP is not regulated like analog POTS, so those fees you speak of apply only for analog POTS.
A rate schedule I received for FiOS shows an FCC Line charge of $6.50. FCC Line charge?!?!?! Cable does not have that one (yet).

Slidetbone
Mazin Go
Premium Member
join:2002-11-10
Land O Lakes, FL

Slidetbone

Premium Member

Re: Why get it

...yes, but slowly those fees have also gotten to broadband and TV services.

I really do not believe that with our government ways we will escape the taxing of any services whether regulated or not. I remember when cellphone service was flat based on the plan. Now, there are fees included based on the rate center of the cellphone number assigned.

It will be a matter of how much we will stand to pay.
Nightwchtr
join:2001-09-10
Centreville, VA

Nightwchtr to joe01880

Member

to joe01880
thats y I will never get it
UofMiamiGrad
Premium Member
join:2001-02-03
Syosset, NY

UofMiamiGrad

Premium Member

Pricing & TOS

I posted this in the FIOS Forum last month. That link goes to my post containing the PDF of the TOS with pricing in the TOS.

»Re: Caller ID on Screen

en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA

en102

Member

AT&T is hardly embracing VoIP

quote:
It looks like both AT&T and Verizon are ready to really embrace VoIP, something they'd steered away from for fear of cannibalizing already dying landline businesses.
1. AT&T scrapped Call Vantage
2. AT&T has deployed Uverse Voice in a few of its Uverse markets where POTS exists.

Here in Santa Clarita (suburb of Los Angeles), Uverse has been available since May 2007, however, VoIP product from AT&T is not available, and the local stores do not know if/when it will be available.

keshavrs
join:2003-12-19
Wilmington, DE

keshavrs

Member

unsure...

i'm unsure if this is convincing enough to switch from my landline as i already have fios. i just don't see the appeal.
bgraham2
join:2001-03-15
Smithtown, NY

bgraham2

Member

Will they dump Voicewing now?

I have had Voicewing for 2 or 3 years now and love it. I got Voicewing at the same time as FIOS. I believe VZ does not own Voicewing so does that mean that they will dump Voicewing?

I have no intentions of paying Verizon's prices, I saw $40 a month mentioned somewhere in this thread and their web site mentions per minute charges "in and out of network".

Maybe Verizon could spend a few $$'s of their profit and get a faster web site. Their FIOS and Voicewing sites are the slowest I have seen since I had dial up.
itguy05
join:2005-06-17
Carlisle, PA

itguy05

Member

Re: Will they dump Voicewing now?

quote:
Their FIOS and Voicewing sites are the slowest I have seen since I had dial up.
the .asp(x) at the end of the pages is the dead giveaway.... Junk Microsoft Windows servers providing the websites.
the tribble
join:2008-09-10
New York, NY

the tribble

Member

I'll stick to vonage

I've had them here in nyc for 6 years without any hassles and only 27$ with tax.
Pv8man
join:2008-07-24
Hammond, IN

Pv8man

Member

Future opening for streaming Video phone over VOIP?

I bet you any money that verizon is eventually going to start advertising VOIP Video phone.

If not, it sounds like a good idea, considering they defiantly have the capacity to supply the demands of the future.

almahix
Allegro ma non troppo
join:1999-10-18
Camarillo, CA

almahix

Member

Verizon's funky pricing models

I have FIOS triple freedom just to get the bundle discount. That includes POTS but I don't use it because I prefer my VOIP service's features which I've had since 2004. (If Verizon had an internet/tv only bundle when I signed up, I would selected that, but the price of the triple freedom bundle vs the two services ala carte made the decision natural.) I would be willing to drop my VOIP in favor of Vz digital voice if it is priced competitively, but now that Vz has the flex bundle (without POTS), that plus my exisitng VOIP costs less than triple freedom or the projected FIOS bundle with voip, internet, and tv. When my contract is up, whoever has the best price for the three services I want gets my business. I don't care if it is one provider or two. Could be three for all I care!

jt4
@comcast.net

jt4

Anon

Re: Verizon's funky pricing models

verizons viop is alittle different then say vonage viop. vonage voip signal does not go throght vonages network. it uses public internet. digital voice service such like comcast verizon uverse goes throght the provider own network. so they have more comtrol over call quility. does alarm systems work on vonage no. but they do with several other digital voice service with other providers.

meh37
@verizon.net

meh37

Anon

Total cost?

Given that it's from "the phone company", they can be expected to continue charging all applicable fees and taxes they currently charge--"applicable" as in "all"--over and above the "list" price. Yep, VoIP ain't what it used to be [about]: cheap calling to/from anywhere.

I already "leverage" my broadband connection for VoIP, so I really don't need to pay an additional $45, $50, or more for the pleasure of getting the same or similar from Verizon. If they want to make telco phone service relevant again, then just eliminate the line-item charges and reduce the price on the existing land-line service.

funchords
Hello
MVM
join:2001-03-11
Yarmouth Port, MA

funchords

MVM

Re: Total cost?

I agree with your notion that going with your Internet provider for VOIP is about as smart as going with your Internet provider for email. Besides, Verizon can't support or manage the services that they offer now.

Now they have another service for Phillipino techs to read the manual to me as they're getting shouted at by their supervisers in Tagalog!?!! I swear to Holy Hell that Verizon never calls its own support lines!

That said, almost all these services line-item their taxes and fees. They do it in order to make you want to pressure regulators to relieve them of those fees. If they priced them in, they'd still have to pay them so you're not saving any money. They should be disclosed before you sign up.
elray
join:2000-12-16
Santa Monica, CA

elray

Member

Re: Total cost?

said by funchords:

That said, almost all these services line-item their taxes and fees. They do it in order to make you want to pressure regulators to relieve them of those fees. If they priced them in, they'd still have to pay them so you're not saving any money. They should be disclosed before you sign up.
That's perverse logic at best. Telco has the lobbyists to counter these taxes; the public does not. Telco buys access to every state legislature and congressman, not the taxpayer.

The taxpayer votes for "tax reductions" that end up being increases (Santa Monica, Los Angeles, Sacramento, to name a few).

meh37
@verizon.net

meh37 to funchords

Anon

to funchords
The funny thing (to me anyway) is that the ability to line-item taxes, fees, and surcharges was lobbied for by the telcos, as you say, to show the customer just how much of their money is not going to actually providing the service but to "overhead". The effect, however, has been almost the opposite of what the telcos wanted. All of those "extra" charges are really part of the cost of doing business; the ultimate effect of breaking them out has more than anything convinced the customer that he or she doesn't desire the service at all, so the customer will find an alternative that comes as close as possible to simply having an all-inclusive cost, or just dropping it altogether. Of course, the govt. has been moving those taxes/fees/etc. onto VoIP as quickly as it can manage it to make up for the "lost" revenue (in spite of the fact that those charges were meant to be on the PSTN infrastructure more so than the service, which, since VoIP is a data service, makes me feel immensely cheated to have to pay any additional charges for it).
EPS4
join:2008-02-13
Hingham, MA

EPS4 to meh37

Member

to meh37
If Verizon charges you taxes (non-tax fees are different, of course) that are not applicable for the services that you are purchasing from them (i.e., POTS-specific taxes for VoIP), that would seem to be fairly good grounds for a lawsuit or something, wouldn't it?

ggma1126
GGMA1126
Premium Member
join:2008-08-30
Claymont, DE

ggma1126

Premium Member

pricing

already have fios phone if price the same no need for me switch except for the xtra features, but the other problem I have is I use my landline for fax also (have distinctive ring for this) also don't like the idea of not haveing a direct 911 ability that you can't have with voip
Mark H
Premium Member
join:2008-05-18
Sterling Heights, MI

Mark H

Premium Member

Re: pricing

Instead of worrying about 911 calls, just keep the regular numbers to police and fire handy.
tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

tmc8080

Member

Long Overdue..

This is LONG OVERDUE... However, I will give Verizon enough rope with this one to hang themselves on price, features, bundles, unfees, and about a million other things that could really make this a non-event.. or just another press release with no meaning behind it.

Verizon would still have an uphill battle in NY Metro, the price to beat is: 89.85 (otherwise known as $29.95 x 3). I know this would make great inroads in Time Warner and Comcast regions though-- even if they can't match or beat Cablevision's triple play price.

What it also means is that Verizon smells blood in the water with Vonage and cash poor voip companies that they are picking their moment to go on the attack!

K3SGM
- -... ...- -
Premium Member
join:2006-01-17
Columbia, PA

K3SGM

Premium Member

Battery Backup???

VoIP doesn't work when the power goes out, unlike the (8 hour) battery backup that the regular Fios phone service provides.

How are they going to sell that unfortunate downside???

Anyone up on phreaking the ONT to keep the Internet port running until the battery backup is completely exhausted???

Plugging the BBU into an UPS has already been done, but many people are clueless as to how Fios handles power failures, this sounds like a bad idea.

So much for their 99.999% telephone reliability claims
myokitis
join:2004-06-19
Alexandria, VA

myokitis

Member

Re: Battery Backup???

It already has battery backup . . . the last sentence of the linked article says Existing FiOS customers are eligible to switch to Digital Voice, which Gonzalez said is enabled through a software update to the optical network terminal (ONT) device at the customer premises.

The VoIP functionality is part of the ONT, and therefore has built-in battery backup. The VoIP functionality has nothing to do with the dataport. It doesn't require an external ATA. I'm sure that five-nines reliability will not be an issue.
tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

tmc8080 to K3SGM

Member

to K3SGM
said by K3SGM:

VoIP doesn't work when the power goes out, unlike the (8 hour) battery backup that the regular Fios phone service provides.

How are they going to sell that unfortunate downside???

Anyone up on phreaking the ONT to keep the Internet port running until the battery backup is completely exhausted???

Plugging the BBU into an UPS has already been done, but many people are clueless as to how Fios handles power failures, this sounds like a bad idea.

So much for their 99.999% telephone reliability claims
If they're smart, they'll just route it through the phone line portion of the ONT... that operates on battery... we're only talking about a soft switch (in the c/o) which can put anything on that spectrum... even funky elevator music if they wanted, video.. phones (unlikely). What is unclear though, is if there was a major disruption to power in the area... would internet generally work to provide service.. or would they make failsafe routing to the pstn?
mrvid
join:2007-06-19
Levittown, NY

mrvid

Member

Re: Battery Backup???

actually I think the answer the the question is right at the bottom of the verizon digital voice page, either click the link in the article or the one below and scroll to the bottom...

»promo.verizon.com/fiosdi ··· icedemo/

and the answer is yes, 8hrs of backup battery talk time

As far as price, I imagine if cable is already offering similar phone service for cheaper, Verizon will likely have to at least lower their costs to that level if not lower.

HarleyYac
Lee
Premium Member
join:2001-10-13
Allendale, NJ

HarleyYac to K3SGM

Premium Member

to K3SGM
Hi,
Aren't Cox,TW,Comcast,OOL all VOIP?
Lee

cableties
Premium Member
join:2005-01-27

cableties to K3SGM

Premium Member

to K3SGM
I've a SmartUps1500 that runs just my router. I'm sure I can get atleast 4 hours...
But then again, I've a cellphone. And a solar-crank charger thing incase of emergencies. Almost infinite juice (till the battery refuses to charge).

If my cell reception wasn't so shielded, I'd drop the landline.

What gripes me more about Verizon is that it doesn't allow you to disable the cellphone greetings, login to a call central to download calls (like WAV or mp3 files), to login anywhere and check/make calls...like Vonage. Oh, and bye Vonage...this will surely be the end.

HarleyYac
Lee
Premium Member
join:2001-10-13
Allendale, NJ

HarleyYac

Premium Member

One Word

Magicjack Looks like they "may" have a reasonable product. Anyone use it ?
Lee

kieranmullen
Premium Member
join:2005-12-12
Portland, OR

kieranmullen

Premium Member

Re: One Word

They have voip forum section here already.
km
said by HarleyYac:

Magicjack Looks like they "may" have a reasonable product. Anyone use it ?
Lee
massysett
join:2006-01-04
Silver Spring, MD

massysett

Member

Trademark infringement?

I wonder if Comcast will sue them seeing as their product is also called Digital Voice. You'd think Verizon would have come up with a different name.

dec13
@anonymouse.org

dec13

Anon

Re: Trademark infringement?

said by massysett:

I wonder if Comcast will sue them seeing as their product is also called Digital Voice. You'd think Verizon would have come up with a different name.
"Digital Voice" may be too generic to trademark and since it is prefaced with Verizon, I doubt it. That said - imitation is the highest form of flattery

meh37
@verizon.net

meh37

Anon

Re: Trademark infringement?

Is there a Verizon equivalent to "Comcastic"? (or "craptastic"... as you prefer... jus' wonderin')
jimboe
join:2000-08-14
New York

jimboe

Member

Different from current FiOS phone

I thought the current offering of phone service to FiOS customers already was deployed via VoIP. VZ cuts the copper when you goto FiOS. The phone service is not via the PSTN (POTS) any longer.

Perhaps this new one just offers more "traditional", "VoIP-like" features than the "existing" phone service via FiOS?

meh37
@verizon.net

meh37

Anon

Re: Different from current FiOS phone

New FiOS customers who maintain their land-line still get phone service via PSTN; copper or fiber doesn't matter... it still goes back to the CO and is handled the same way. There are differences with respect to signaling/frequencies when using fiber instead of copper, but almost anything you might have used the copper line for before going with FiOS will work exactly the same way. (Some alarm systems might have a problem, for example.) The voice service, however, is exactly the same (presuming you make no changes to your phone service when you get FiOS installed)--same price, same fees, same old PSTN.

Anonymous Coward
@verizon.net

Anonymous Coward

Anon

Say what you say...

But tell me another VOIP provider offering the same level of services as Viatalk - 2 lines, great price, loaded with features, etc .. yeah they have periodic down times, but if you have decent cell coverage from home - well worth the money if you aren't in for bundling down with Comcrap/Verizon.

No, this is not an ad for Viatalk, I've been a Viatalk residential customer for 3 years and the W.A.F. is above average the last couple months. Beware non-tech savvy however....

fifty nine
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ

fifty nine

Member

Is it really VoIP?

From what I heard, FiOS phone service wasn't really VoIP. Or am I wrong in thinking so?

kyler13
Is your fiber grounded?
join:2006-12-12
Annapolis, MD

kyler13

Member

What a joke

$45? No thanks! I pay $15/month for my VoIP that has been every bit as reliable and consistent as landline. If this doesn't come in at $25/month, it's a worthless offering.
dcdeadbeat5
join:2008-10-07
Washington, DC

dcdeadbeat5

Member

this is nothing new Verizon already has a $6 lifeline phone

You have to hunt on their site but they already have an Economy I Service that is $6 for the line and 6 cents per minute. And in many areas their is a flat rate unlimited local for just a few dollars more.

I think this is just an example of Verizon trying to use the press to boost its stock prices by appearing to have a way to challenge the "VOIP threat" (which another of their divisions has joined already).