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. |
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Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02
Host:
Road Runner
PC gaming GAMES
PC gaming Tech
| 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] |
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inciter
Noobie
Premium
join:2000-08-30
Rohnert Park, CA
| reply to rradina
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. |
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mahermusic
join:2001-07-06
Chesterfield, NJ | ... 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 | It matters if you use DSL for access to Vonage  |
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rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO
| reply to inciter
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. |
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mahermusic
join:2001-07-06
Chesterfield, NJ | reply to J D McDorce
Whoops, I forgot! You are correct! (...bad cat... bad cat...) |
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KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
 ·AT&T Yahoo
·AT&T DSL Service
 ·Cox HSI
·AT&T Southwest
| reply to rradina
Re: How will incumbents spoil Vonage?
They will lobby the FCC and Federal Government to pretend it's the same as placing a long distance phone call, and that it needs to be taxed, tarrifed, and rated the same.
They will also lobby that they need to be paid some of the money for a vonage "call" using some excuse like the call passes over their network to the end user. This overlooks the fact the CUSTOMER pays them for this service already.
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"When the day comes that anyone can bend our country’s laws and lawmakers to serve selfish, competitive ends, that day democratic government dies" -- Preston Tucker, 1948 (Yep, it's dead.) |
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rradina
join:2000-08-08
Chesterfield, MO
| 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. |
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Gordon Gekko
join:2003-02-18
North Little Rock, AR | reply to rradina
"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! |
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KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
·AT&T Yahoo
·AT&T DSL Service
·Cox HSI
·AT&T Southwest
| said by Gordon Gekko  :
"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!
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?
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"When the day comes that anyone can bend our country’s laws and lawmakers to serve selfish, competitive ends, that day democratic government dies" -- Preston Tucker, 1948 (Yep, it's dead.) |
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Gordon Gekko
join:2003-02-18
North Little Rock, AR
| 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?
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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] |
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Beretta3
@starstream.net
| reply to mahermusic
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. |
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Beretta3
@starstream.net
| reply to rradina
Re: How will incumbents spoil Vonage?
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. |
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BootSprint
@adelphia.net
| reply to rradina
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! |
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Badal
@attbi.com
| reply to rradina
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. |
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