Digital Journal — It looks like owning a voice-over IP phone from Vonage has become a sweeter deal: a new service called V-Access lets anyone call a Vonage subscriber without paying long distance fees.
Not only are outgoing calls dirt-cheap through Vonage compared to regular land-line international calls, but now incoming calls don’t bruise the dialler’s bank account.
“Vonage customers already enjoy flat-rate local and long distance calling, and now they can offer the same savings to loved ones who want to call them,” said Bill Rainey, president of Vonage Canada.
The new service, available across North America and in parts of Europe, provides a special access number that people can dial to contact any Vonage number. It’s ideal for Vonage subscribers who often receive more calls than make them, allowing their family and friends to also benefit from VoIP advantages.
Introducing V-Access brings to mind a simple response: Well-played, Vonage. In the increasingly competitive VoIP market, Vonage has to continue to innovate in order to stand out in the pack. Already a market leader, Vonage is polishing its reputation by further enticing land-line lovers to switch to VoIP. The long-distance savings are well-publicized, but VoIP companies are still struggling to sign up customers in the kind of numbers its investors expect.
Expanding their business past their core offerings should help Vonage turn the corner and boost its credibility. There are too few people who know about VoIP so anything that Vonage does to increase consumer awareness is welcome. Introducing V-Access is not the company’s first move to spread the brand: Earlier this month, it inked a deal with EarthLink to resell broadband access in cities where EarthLink is building Wi-Fi networks.
If V-Access takes off, then Vonage will be moving ahead of its competitors in a race that’s bound to get intriguing in 2007.
