Verizon Deep-Fries VoiceWing

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Bob Frankston" <Bob19-0501 () bobf frankston com>
Date: February 4, 2009 10:34:34 AM EST
To: "Dave Farber" <dave () farber net>, <dewayne () warpspeed com>
Cc: "'John F. McMullen'" <johnmac13 () gmail com>
Subject: Verizon Deep-Fries VoiceWing

I can’t say this is a surprise. But it is a reminder of the reason  
that Verizon had to fight dirty with Vonage – they can’t win on a  
level playing field when they don’t have the advantage of tying their  
services to their wires. Same for the CableCos – they would rather pay  
the expense of rolling trucks than provide a service that has a low  
cost. The artificially high costs create a cover story for high prices  
and justify owning their own high cost redundant physical plant and  
high cost billing agents whose job it is be confused by their complex  
billing plans.

It’s also why they have done their damndest to prevent people from  
owning their own phone numbers and have only grudgingly allowed some  
number portability.

Notice their effort to introduce an updated version of the 1980’s  
Minitel service in their new touch-screen device. What has failed in  
the past will be new again if they can use their vast armies of  
lobbyists and lawyers to crush the competition. For more on their  
plight – http://frankston.com/?name=SimplyConnected.


Verizon Deep-Fries VoiceWing
http://www.von.com/news/verizon-deep-fries-voicewing.html

Richard Martin
01/29/2009
Confirming what most observers knew was coming, Verizon Communications  
Inc.(VZ) officially said it is shuttering its white-label VoIP  
service, VoiceWing. Customers have been notified and Verizon made the  
decision official today.
The demise of VoiceWing "was a business decision based on a number of  
factors including the strategic fit of the service in our evolving  
digital voice portfolio," Verizon spokeswoman Bobbi Henson told the  
Associated Press.
Originally launched in 2005, VoiceWing was Verizon’s first, tentative  
step into the world of VoIP. The service was based on technology from  
Deltathree, the VoIP service provider which has seen its business dry  
up and has been de-listed from the Nasdaq.
Verizon last week introduced the “Hub,” a touchscreen device designed  
to connect to any broadband line, whether from Verizon, another telco,  
or a cable modem-enabled service from a cable provider. Priced at $200  
with a $35-per-month service plan, the Hub is being pitched as  
Verizon’s attempt to make the conventional home phone sexy again. Like  
most big carriers, Verizon continues to lose landline customers at a  
steady clip.
Rival AT&T Inc.(T) last year stopped adding new customers to its  
CallVantage VoIP service.





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