Home users pay £9.99 per month for unlimited local and national calls, low international rates and features such as caller ID and voicemail; the £18.99 small business offering adds to this a fax line.
Both can be ordered from the company's UK Web site, which launched on Tuesday.
Vonage offers voice services over a standard phone line and requires broadband and the installation of a hardware adapter to convert between analogue and digital signals.
The launch went off with little fanfare, though a company spokesperson said a full marketing push is expected later this year.
The idea, he explained, is to follow the patterns established in the US and Canada where Vonage officially launched its VoIP services eight or nine months before undertaking a publicity campaign, during which time the company "got a feel for the market".
Along with marketing directly to customers, Vonage is in talks with UK retailers to bundle Vonage services with products sold in stores, as it has done with retailers in the US. It hopes to be on shop shelves by the end of the year.
Entering the UK's competitive low-cost voice market, Vonage aims to differentiate itself through competitive pricing, a simple mobile phone rate plan and free, advanced features such as voicemail you can pick up on the Web, according to the spokesperson.
BT, which is planning a pure IP network, has said it does not see VoIP as a threat to its business.
Up until the UK launch, Vonage was available only in the US and Canada. The company is now looking to expand further into Western Europe and the Pacific Rim.
Earlier this week, fellow VoIP company Skype - whose product differs from Vonage's in that it's an application run on a computer rather than service over a standard phone line -- launched version 1.1 of its voice software, featuring revamped instant-messaging capabilities and a new look. Skype is also testing a voicemail service it hopes to launch this spring, a feature previously promised by CEO Niklas Zennstrom.
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Epygi Technologies Is Now Vonage® Certified & Demonstrated at CES
DALLAS, TEXAS (January 5, 2005) Epygi Technologies, Ltd. announces that it has completed Vonage Certification and will be featured at CES in Las Vegas both in the Press Room and in the Vonage Booth (Las Vegas Convention Center, Locator S04, Booth 36163).
“Epygi’s product line is known for its high performance and reliability, and just as importantly their gateways and IP PBXs are easy to use and install,” said Mark Lyons, vice president of SMB channel sales, Vonage Holdings Corporation. “Vonage is always looking for new products that enhance our users’ experience while at the same time providing them quality and value for their dollar. We feel the Epygi hardware does all of this rolled into one device.”
Epygi’s IP telephony products offer a feature-rich, scalable migration into IP telephony for the large but underserved small business, SOHO and Teleworker markets. Epygi delivers value to any small business with analog phones, by enabling them to grow using IP phones while maximizing the benefits of VoIP. Existing analog phones gain IP capabilities and IP phones work seamlessly with Quadro IP PBXs. Epygi meets a market need combining analog lines and phones with IP phones and VoIP carriers in one straightforward product.
Epygi is building a world-wide network of distributors and resellers. “The combination of our products with Vonage service provides small businesses with leading edge technologies at a very cost effective price, enabling them to serve customers with the reach and availability of a world class organization. This combination also brings value to the distribution channel as they can now offer a broader solution to their end users.” says Jeff Kirchner, CEO/President of Epygi Technologies.
About Epygi Technologies
Epygi Technologies’ headquarters is in Plano, Texas (North Dallas). Sales and Development offices are in the United States, Canada, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Armenia and Japan. The company utilizes a sales organization of distributors and resellers. Epygi employees over 200 people. Products include IP PBXs, conference servers, and gateways.
About Vonage®
Vonage is redefining communications by offering consumers and small businesses an affordable alternative to traditional telephone service. The fastest growing telephony company in North America, Vonage's service area encompasses more than 2000 active rate centers in over 150 global markets. Vonage is sold directly through www.vonage.com and retail partners such as SAM’s Club, Amazon.com, RadioShack, Best Buy, Circuit City, Staples, Fry’s Electronics, Office Depot and CompUSA. Wholesale partners such as EarthLink, ARMSTRONG®, Advanced Cable Communications and the Coldwater Board of Public Utilities resell the Vonage broadband phone service under their own unique brands. With more than 400,000 lines in service, Vonage continues to add more than 30,000 lines per month to its network. Over 10 million calls per week are made using Vonage, the easy-to-use, feature-rich, flat rate phone service. Vonage is headquartered in Edison, New Jersey. For more information about Vonage's products and services, please visit www.vonage.com or call 1-VONAGE-HELP. Vonage®, Vonage Digital VoiceTM, Toll Free PlusSM and Virtual Phone NumberSM are trademarks of Vonage Holdings Corp.
Epygi / Sales Force Europe
General Castaños 9-2D
Madrid 28004 Spain
Rick Pizzoli
Phone: +34 91 310 0070
Email: rick.pizzoli@epygi.com
After extensively looking a Vonage as a potential home service of VoIP services in the UK, I noted a few question that I wanted answering. Here are the responses from Vonage. I could nearly live with all the bad points (such as no SIP free calls, no own equipment, possibly high running cost), but the last point I think is total disgusting. After paying them to join, and paying them to continue to use the service, they want to charge you to leave the service if you do not like it after the 14 day intro period has expired. This charge is buried in the T's and C's and FAQ’s; it took me hours to stumble across it. I think this is a very bad practice.
Anyhow here are the rest of the answers.
> Hi. I have been looking into a VoIP solution for our home phone line
> for a little while now and as you have recently set up in the UK I
> would like to know one or two further question that I believe
> aren't covered by you extensive FAQ's
>
> 1) I am assuming you are a
> SIP based VoIP provider?
>
Although we use SIP, you can plug any normal corded or cordless telephonbe into our telephone adapter/router.
> 2) If the above is correct, can we use
> our own SIP based equipment such as a proper IP telephone or the
> Cisco ATA-186 or other SIP based ATA's, routers etc?
No. the service will only work with the Vonage device provided to you.
>
> 3) Do you
> offer free calls to other SIP based IP phone systems as is common
> with most other SIP providers such as Sipgate?
No. Our packages include unlimited landline calls in the UK and Ireland and free calls to other number on the Vonage network only.
>
> 4) If the
> supplied ATA (Linksys RT31P2/RT41P2-AT) enables QoS, why would the
> Bandwidth Saver be needed?
In some cases, your ISP might not provide you with sufficient bandwidth therefore we provide you with capability to adjust the bandwith at your end via the bandwidth saver. This is the most frequent use of the bandwidth saver.
>
> 5) When are you likely to offer area
> codes for the Swansea region (01792)?
>
We are adding new dialling codes regularly. There will be anothe tranche released within the next couple of weeks and there is a strong possibility Swansea might be included, although we can't guarantee it.
> 6) What is your expected
> time frame to implement the transfer of an existing land line
> number to your VoIP system?
>
There are considerable regulatory and technical obstacles to overcome
and we working on all of these. We can't give you a specific date although we are working towards number portability.
> 7) One further point, after hours of
> trawling through your FAQ's I stumbled across your very cheeky (if
> not downright despicable) disconnection charge! This is not
> seemingly mentioned anywhere in the main web pages and as such is a
> hidden charge. In my opinion, after a customer has already paid for
> an activation charge, it seems disgusting that they would actually
> have to pay to leave your system. Anyhow, as a hidden charge, it
> would probably be legally challengeable.
>
All of our charges are included and identified in the terms and conditions. We also offer a 14 day moneyback guarantee where we refund all of your charges if you are unhappy with the service.