One month after its chief executive announced plans to do it, America Online has rolled out Internet telephony for subscribers, launching it in 40 U.S. markets with more to come over the next several months.
AOL Internet Phone Service will let users blend voice, e-mail, and instant messaging for a special introductory $29.95 a month for the first six months, when it goes to $39.95 a month, AOL said April 6.
Chief executive Jonathan Miller said AOL also plans to make the service available to nonAOL customers in due course, though he didn't suggest just when that might take place.
Some wonder if AOL can have success in the Voice-over Internet Protocol market with an already-crowded such field, but AOL spokeswoman Anne Bentley told reporters many consumers feel intimidated enough by the technology that any trusted name and simpler approach offered them would be welcome.
"People aren't sure about how they can combine voice services with their Internet; it seems confusing to many of them," Bentley said. "Since they trust the AOL name, and we're making it very easy to install and use, we think this will really help our members."
AOL also included full, enhanced 911 calling coverage, a feature not always available in other VoIP services, and said the new AOL Internet Phone Service can be used with existing home networks with "robust" call management features.
"A great deal of time is spent on making services as simple as possible," Bentley said. "There's never any documentation, and we aim for having no more than three steps from installation to use."
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