 rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO
| How will incumbents spoil Vonage? I just want to know how incumbent communication providers will work to spoil Vonage. Right now Vonage doesn't have enough customers but just wait. Once Earthlink starts getting all of it's broadband users to try it, they'll never look at their old telephone company the same. As soon as Vonage reaches critical mass, someone is going to figure out how to tax it. Right now it doesn't qualify because it's technically not a voice call. Just wait. That will likely change. The incumbents will also be scrambling figuring out how to compete with it through legislation, port blocking or other nefarious methods.
I have it and I love it. As soon as they can transition my existing bell number to their service (number portability), I'll be kicking ma' bell out. I just hope that as the customer count grows, capacity problems don't creep in and incumbents don't work to ruin an otherwise fantastic service. | |
|  | 
Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02
Host:
Road Runner
PC gaming GAMES
PC gaming Tech
| Re: How will incumbents spoil Vonage? 1. They will lobby politicians to enact heavy fees and taxes on the VOIP sector while they develop their own tech.
2. They'll lobby politicians to retract heavy fees and taxes on the VOIP sector.
3. They'll launch their own competing services and bundle it with their DSL offerings for half the price.
BellSouth I think had a brief deal with Vonage but then backed out, not really giving any reason....I was always curious why....if BellSouth was developing their own competing service?
[text was edited by author 2003-03-14 17:10:29] | |
| | 
inciter
Noobie
Premium
join:2000-08-30
Rohnert Park, CA
| Sounds cool but.......... What happens when the cat chews your phone line oustide? I can see the commecials now, two guys in a truck looking down a hole, and saying I'm not going down there.
Opp's all ready done and true.
So what are they relying on the Bells to fix the lines or do they? Hmmmm What loops and hoops one must have to go jump into if something goes wrong? I think thats why they say it's a second line and don't just kill the bell yet. | |
| | | 
mahermusic
join:2001-07-06
Chesterfield, NJ | Re: Sounds cool but.......... ... what does it matter if the cat chews on the phone line outside??? Vonage doesn't use the phone line outside for its service. | |
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J D McDorce
Premium
join:2001-12-29
Westland, MI | Re: Sounds cool but.......... It matters if you use DSL for access to Vonage  | |
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mahermusic
join:2001-07-06
Chesterfield, NJ | Re: Sounds cool but.......... Whoops, I forgot! You are correct! (...bad cat... bad cat...) | |
| | | | | | 
Beretta3
@starstream.net
| Re: Sounds cool but.......... If your paying for DSL, your DSL provider would come out and fix the lines. Depending on the wire plan you have. Obviously anyone considering using Vongage for their phone systems should have a backup (cell), and should also call their DSL provider and make sure they have the "inside wiring" plan. | |
| | | rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO
| Vonage uses your broadband connection. If your broadband is working, Vonage should be working.
In this case, if you're using your phone line for a DSL broadband connection, ma bell will be fixing the line.
If your using your cable provider, they'll be fixing the line.
If you have some sort of wireless -- oh wait, no wires here. Nothing to fix.
If you want to know more, www.vonage.com or checkout the VOIP forum here. There's a lot of Vonage posts. | |
| | | | | rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO
| Re: How will incumbents spoil Vonage? They use CLECs to complete the call to the POTS network. Aren't there already ILEC fees charged to complete calls on behalf of CLECs? I was also under the impression that the LD carriers were also charged fees by the ILEC/CLECs to complete the call at the destination.
If my impressions/assumptions are correct, Vonage is probably already charged in a manner similar to LD providers and/or CLECs. If so, they've probably already factored that into the price of their service.
Perhaps the only thing in Vonage's favor are the cable carriers. I was under the impression that they have lobbied hard to ensure that their broadband offerings don't come under the control of TA1996. They maintain that "data" transmission is not communication in the "voice call" sense and therefore they don't have to open their networks to competition. If they start fooling with this notion, E-mail, chat programs, on-line gaming...you name it might fall under the TA1996 definitions and therefore be subject to all sorts of nasty regulations. | |
| | Gordon Gekko
join:2003-02-18
North Little Rock, AR | "technically not a voice call"
Maybe not at your end, but as soon as it hits a customer who is still on copper it is a voice call...prepare to be taxed hard on this! | |
| | | | | | | Gordon Gekko
join:2003-02-18
North Little Rock, AR
| Re: How will incumbents spoil Vonage? Explain your rational on why people deserved to be taxed for being innovative? Why should it be taxed like a LD phone call when it isn't?
--
You may not be thinking it is a long distance call, but the fcc is going to! Or do you think they are going to sit back and watch. I dont think so. Be prepared for the FCC to regulate this like any other voice service....You watch
And another thing funny about it all is.......it could cost more then what people are paying now after the FCC gets through with it!
Regulation is Looming, but who am I to know with all the smart people in this forum...I guess all of us are wrong!
»www.newtelephony.com/news/175.html
This voip duck is quacking and as far as gekko is concerned will be regulated.
do your own d&d
[text was edited by author 2003-03-15 22:43:56]
[text was edited by author 2003-03-15 23:02:54] | |
| |
Beretta3
@starstream.net
| I work for a large Nationwide CLEC. I'll tell you how they will spoil this. I cant talk about other networks or companies, but we have a national OC192 Backbone and are in about 50 markets in the United States. All we would have to do it throw down for some SIP enabled gateways for each of our switching facilities and we would be off and running. Our size would enable economies of scale, and in addition our focus on business customers would deliver large revenue streams that would finance a push into residential. We would then create a cut rate for business for pure flat rates, and leverage the necessity for commerical use of having a true 'circuit' based internet connection, ie a T1 or higher - which we would be happy to provide. As much as you feel ripped off on your residential phone bill, you should see what some companies pay for simple local and long distance. I have customers who receive their phone bills in a BOX!!! I am surprised how slow we are to react to this and take advantage of it, but then again we probably are happy to keep the revenue flowing from LD. too bad for us...our network would be perfect for this and I know our sales force could really move it. NO one is talking about it or even really knows that much about it. (idiots) Even the PBX vendors we work with don't 'get' it. They still think in terms of 'old' voip as a point to point solution or intra-company.
Cool thing about Vonage is that its not propriatary....so once the 'big boys' get involved it will be on. All the major broadband ISP's will brand the service and include it as a value add. We already deliver the broadband connectivity to ISPs. The next step for us is to keep that traffic on our network and terminate it at the destination into our voice switches. We'll get paid either way, just a matter of how much money we are willing to give up to the deltathree voip serive providers, and the hardware providers in the process. | |
| |
BootSprint
@adelphia.net
| I just signed up for Vonage after being ripped off $53 a month for basic tel. service from Sprint. No CLEC competition at all here in central VA, it's Sprint or go wireless for tel. service.
Add another ~100 or so a month for AT&T digging in my pockets. Screw that! Following a successful weekend on Vonage I promptly called Sprint et al and told them their services were no longer needed. So now for only $40 a month I get both, and don't have to worry about who I call or how long I talk. I don't have a local number, but I use my wireless for that. Which is ALSO a fixed price plan with unlimited LD in USA.
I am keeping my eye on this VoIP segment, they better not touch it! | |
| |
Badal
@attbi.com
| I just got a line from Vonage .. here is my input
They are charging too much .. if they want to stay competative, they will have to drop down their prices.
At&t just came up with $25 unlimited in US ... so with that it will be hard for Vonage to compete ... unless they fall ther prices down ..
quality is good but some times u experience echo
Too much charge for connection fee and Disconnect fee. | |
|
Gunner1214
@dsli.com
| Local phone companies should be afriad The review ended with the above statement. After being a Vonage customer for a few about 3 weeks now, I would have to strongly agree. My service is great, setup was too quick and too simple, and the quality is better than cell phones. I moved into a house recently and didn't even bother calling BellSo-mething. I'm very pleased! | |
| | 
Pz_
join:2001-03-31
Brownsburg, IN
clubs:
| Re: Local phone companies should be afriad Their web site says that in April they will ad my local area code. I will be signing up the very first day I can.
The only question that I had about it was about having multiple phones on it. From what I've read, both here and around, it looks like I just need to unhook my house from the local bell. Then I can use all my normal phone outlets.
I can't wait to stop paying SBC. | |
| | | 
murdok6100
Avatar. Get It, Avatar?
join:2002-06-20
| Re: Local phone companies should be afriad said by Pz_  :
Their web site says that in April they will ad my local area code. I will be signing up the very first day I can.
The only question that I had about it was about having multiple phones on it. From what I've read, both here and around, it looks like I just need to unhook my house from the local bell. Then I can use all my normal phone outlets.
I can't wait to stop paying SBC.
PZ
I think you can have as many phones on the line you want, I think it gets hairy when you try to use two phones at once.
All,
I would recommend Vonage to everyone. Its absolutely outstanding and the price couldn't be better.
murdok610 | |
| BCali
join:2000-08-13
Hewlett, NY
| Question? According to this article in USA Today, It's designed to be a second phone line. If you use dsl just to have one line, what is the advantage? Thanks
"Consumers would lose phone service every time the Internet connection goes down. Internet phones lack emergency features, such as 911. They could also slow a homeowner's Internet connection. Even EarthLink says that its service is designed to be a second phone line." | |
| |
Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02
Host:
Road Runner
PC gaming GAMES
PC gaming Tech
| Re: Question? Well, the 911 thing is in the works I've read....but yeah, the fact that it relies on power is a big drawback when compared to a traditional phone. The bandwidth it uses isn't really considerable enough to impact connection speed though I don't think.
I think the optimal combo would be a cell phone AND this service.... | |
| | | rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO
| Re: Question? I have my router, cable modem and Vonage box on battery backup. When the power goes out, my cable service does not go down. I still have a phone.
You can also have Vonage forward calls to another number if they cannot contact the Vonage device. Ideally, this would be a cell phone.
Vonage isn't the answer for everyone but from my experience, if you're already committed to having broadband access in your home and you already have a cell phone for other conveniences, you can dump your POTS service and save money by better leveraging your investment in other technologies. | |
| | | 
Ianguy
join:2002-06-09
Tehachapi, CA
| Re: Actual Bandwidth Usage said by sirwoogie :
What is the low-high actual bandwidth used? Is it 5kbps - 15kbp, etc?
I think it is 30kbps to 90kbps | |
| | | 
Voyager2K2
join:2001-10-04
Wayne, PA
 ·Verizon FIOS
| Re: Actual Bandwidth Usage said by Ianguy :
I think it is 30kbps to 90kbps
If you are on cable or a basic ADSL line, why tie up that much bandwidth? What about high latency periods on cable?
How much are you really saving?
»www.theneighborhood.com/res_loca···ault.jsp
It's a neat toy, but you are relying on a stable low latency HS connection. If you are doing line sharing with ADSL you are already paying for basic telco service anyway.
Doesn't make sense to me, but I imagine if you are able to use the few unique features, it might be worth it. For John Q. Public, unless you are an ILEC/CLEC hater, I just don't see the advantage. | |
| | | | 
Cam
Premium
join:2003-01-25
Luther, OK
clubs:
| Re: Actual Bandwidth Usage The advantage for me was the $25.99 plan saved me over $30.00 per month on my local service, plus what I was paying for long distance. I have cable, so I have not been forced by SBC to keep their Dial Tone if I don't want it.
Do I hate SBC? No, they are a company and to "hate" them would be a little strange, but would I continue to pay them twice what I am paying Vonage now for service that is no better? That would be stupid.
With Vonage I get Caller ID, Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, Voicemail, Free Incoming calls, 500 minutes of long distance in the US and Canada, and I get it all for $26 a month. I cancelled Southwestern Bell, and I have not regretted it once since. | |
| | | gunnerjd10
join:2003-03-13
Palm Beach Gardens, FL | I have Vonage and have done speed tests while using the service. The actual bandwidth it uses, from what I can tell, is around 60-65 kbps at the "Higher Sound Quality" 90kbps setting you can adjust per web interface. | |
| | zimmy6996
join:2001-12-03
Evanston, IL
| I have a T1 at my home so this response is kinda skewed ...
Since I have the power of a stable T1, I didn't figure I needed Bell anymore for POTS service, and switched to Vonage in October 2002. The quality of the service is UNREAL!
I have never bumped the service down to the "bandwidth saver" mode as I really don't have a need to. Right now, I run it in normal mode, which uses about 90kbits in both directions. Sound quality is the same as my old POTS service.
Only "trouble" I can see is that I have had the sound quality degrade a few times when my T1 has been saturated. When that happens, my ping times to vonages servers has hit about 150ms. I called Vonage to ask about this, and they say that when the ping times go over 120ms to them, things can get a little shakey. Again, only happened a couple times, so I can't complain. Especially since it was my line that was saturated.
I could see this becomming a problem for some cable broadband customers, as we all know that cable is a shared medium, and that they don't always have the best service.
Vonage definitly isn't THE SOLUTION for everyone, but if you have a high quality broadband connection, I think it is pretty close!
POTS lines will always be around. VOIP services are just going to chip in on the market. It won't be until such a time that fiber comes to your home that VOIP will replace POTS completely. Of course, it will be the incumbant telco that owns the fiber coming to your home, so they'll charge a pretty penny for it, and probably be the ones selling you the VOIP service.
HEY MA-BELL, IF YOU ARE LISTENING, AND WANT TO KNOW HOW YOU CAN COMPETE WITH COMPANIES LIKE VONAGE, I HAVE SOME SIMPLE SOLUTIONS FOR YOU ...
1) STOP CHARGING FOR SERIVCES LIKE CALLER ID WHEN THEY DON'T COST YOU ANYTHING
2) PROVIDE FREE VOICEMAIL THAT YOU DON'T CHARGE THE CUSTOMER TO DIAL IN TO GET THEIR MESSAGES
3) OFFER FLAT RATE PRICES SO I DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR "LOCAL-TOLL" PER-MINUTE CALLS
4) AND ABOVE ALL, DO ALL THIS FOR A REASONABLE PRICE, YOU PRICE GOUGING WHORES! | |
|
mahermusic
join:2001-07-06
Chesterfield, NJ
 ·Vonage
 ·Comcast
| Got rid of POTS for Vonage!!! I have been using Vonage for some time now, and its quality, pricing, and features are so far ahead of my old Verizon / AT&T, that it's not funny. It does not decrease your computer's speed AT ALL. In fact, it uses only a little of your connection when you're on it making or receiving a call. The sound quality is MUCH better and clearer than the old POTS connection, and I have never experienced a dropped call.
I have disconnected my old Verizon and AT&T phone services because I have no use for them. Now I am saving $25.00 a month by having a better quality connection with more features. If the internet ever goes out, phone calls are automatically routed to my cell phone. Simple, huh?
Emergency calls? I have the local number on my speed dial. Also simple. When the 911 kicks in, I'll change the local number to 911.
I'm not a "Vonage" fan, or a "Verizon" fan. I'm a fan of whomever gives me the best service, the most features, at the most reasonable price, and right now, this is Vonage. | |
| | Gordon Gekko
join:2003-02-18
North Little Rock, AR
| Re: Got rid of POTS for Vonage!!! If the internet ever goes out, phone calls are automatically routed to my cell phone. Simple, huh?
I am curious how your calls are routed to your cell phone, this I have to hear! please explain after your broadband connection goes down that somehow the calls are forwarded!
Thanks
Gekko is back
[text was edited by author 2003-03-15 23:53:49] | |
| | | rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO | Re: Got rid of POTS for Vonage!!! Vonage provides service by utilizing a Cisco ATA 186 device that plugs into your broadband connection.
If Vonage has an incoming call but it cannot contact the ATA 186, they will forward the call to the number of your choosing. | |
| | | | Gordon Gekko
join:2003-02-18
North Little Rock, AR | Re: Got rid of POTS for Vonage!!! Now that is interesting, so if it does not get a handshake from your equipment it will go to the other number programmed.....interesting... | |
| 
linxer
join:2000-05-20
Campbellsville, KY
clubs: | Sounds Good I've read numerous reports on the Vonage system, and I have heard many good things. I am waiting until they get an area code for Kentucky, but I am sure going to try it out. | |
| | rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO
| Re: Sounds Good If you make more than $40 of LD calls per month, there's no reason you have to wait for a Kentucky area code. You can pick any area code Vonage current serves. The $40/month plan lets you call everywhere for free. Having an area code somewhere else doesn't matter except for people that call you. | |
| | | alchav
join:2002-05-17
Palm Desert, CA
 ·Pacific Bell - SBC
|  Jumping on the BandWagon!!
ALC | |
| |
See 7 replies to this post | |
zernickow
join:2002-08-31
Los Angeles, CA
| Vonage's Poor Service and Quaility I have been with Vonage about 8 months now.
They Suck!
When speaking with someone over the Vonage line the other person breaks up all the time.
There website with all those cool features is the slowest site i have ever been on.
The Customer Service really sucks. They transfer you to the next person who is supposed to help you and I usually get a message telling me to call again cause there too busy.
Our 800# with them is regularly down. Unfortunatly thats the only number our customers have. Basically the $100/month vonage is saving us is costing us literally thousands a month right now and were going to switch. I wish we tested the system before we tons of money advertise the company with the Vonage number.
Some might say I have a slow connection... or i don't have it setup right. LOL...nope... I know what im doing and Vonage can't suggest anything. According to them this is as good as it gets. BTW my broadband speed is 1500/256K and I have tried there system at more than one location.
Stay away from Vonage,
Kevin Zernickow | |
| finkman
join:2004-05-20
Argentina
|  high quality... if you can set up your device
I think Vonage - that is charging the service - is responsible for that.
If anyone can help on how to telnet my Cisco 677 from a windows xp workstating (without a console cable), it will be welcome. | |
| | drtandem4
join:2002-02-07
San Diego, CA
| Re: high quality... if you can set up your device I guess I don't understand the advantage of Vonage. You still need an internet connection, such as your local telco or CATV. So, where is the savings? Especially, since both landline telcos and wireless are virtually giving away long distance for free and have local number portability.
It seemed liked an inviting prospect a few months ago, but now, it's just another gimmick. Plus, it seems rather expensive initially compared with traditional phones and even wireless. | |
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