Comcast to offer Net phone service

Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, January 11, 2005

Comcast Corp. customers in Western Washington will be able to purchase Internet-based telephone services from the cable provider later this year.

The company, which is testing the service in three markets, plans to charge $40 a month. Officials said they believe customers will also pay more for features such as battery backup to keep the phone line running during power outages.

The service will eventually be available in 20 of the company’s markets.

“We’re looking at launching in Western Washington before the end of this year,” said Steve Kipp, Comcast’s spokesman in Bothell.

The delay could prove costly in a young market already marred by price wars among AT&T Corp., Verizon Communications Inc., Vonage Holdings Co. and a growing list of no-name rivals.

Kevin Laverty, a spokesman at Verizon’s regional headquarters in Everett, said his company’s Voice Wing service, already available locally, costs just under $35 a month. Verizon also offers a one-year discount to customers who already use its DSL Internet connection.

Comcast said it hopes to sign up about 8 million phone customers, or 20 percent of the markets it serves, within five years.

For existing Comcast cable subscribers, part of the appeal may be the ability to get phone, cable and Internet service from a single provider and pay for them on a single bill.

Unlike other Internet phone providers, Comcast promises battery backup that would maintain service for at least 16 hours in the event of a power failure.

Comcast is testing the technology, known as Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP, in its home base of Philadelphia, as well as Indianapolis and Springfield, Mass.

VoIP transmits a phone call by converting a person’s voice into packets of computer data not unlike an e-mail or a Web page, scattering them across the Internet, then reassembling them back into the sound of a voice on the other end of the line. The service generally requires a high-speed Internet connection to avoid poor sound quality.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.