AT&T Announces VoIP Program

An anonymous reader writes "DeviceForge reports that AT&T has unveiled a program to foster the 'development, delivery, and adoption' of emerging voice over IP (VoIP) applications, capabilities, and devices. The program, based on proprietary AT&T specifications, is intended to enable 'select vendors' to test applications and equipment against AT&T specs and thereby ensure compatibility with AT&T's evolving VoIP communication services. AT&T has invited industry leaders representing application developers, equipment, device manufacturers, and silicon vendors to participate in the program in order to 'shape and scale' the emerging VoIP market."

Comments

Let's see it

[PtM2300]

That's kind of funny. The company I work for works closely with AT&T and provides them with a lot of revenue. In our weekly meeting with our AT&T team today, they told us their VoIP road map is being delayed based on problems they're having with Juniper. So if AT&T wants to speed of the VoIP process, they could get their own plan going before influencing others.

if you can't beat em, join em

[flechette_indigo]

Their business model was threatened (by vonage etc) so they're moving over. How much u want to bet that they don't lower their rates?

Let me guess

[caffeineboy]

It'll be just as great a deal as their landline service...

• Extra 2.50 for call waiting
  
• extra 7.00 for voice mail, plus an extra 2.50 per mailbox and a charge for each message.
  
• Extra 2.50 for three way calling
  
• Extra charges for caller ID blocking, caller ID blocker blocking, and caller ID blocker blocker blocking.
  
• Extra charge for "line backer", which means that they will come to the house and fix the non-premise wiring that is not my freaking problem anyway. Extra charge for touching a phone in the house, and an additional $70 for the service call.
  
• And of course, for toggling any of these options on my account, a $10 charge each for "installation".
  

GODS I am glad that I don't have to deal with AT&T anymore. Hell, I would take a really crappy VOIP company over AT&T, if only to avoid giving that crappy monopoly a cent more of my money.

Unless they are also planning to totally change their crappy attitude towards customers and their nickle-and-dime pricing scheme, this won't change a thing. I would love to see POTS go out of business forever.

ISPs already doing it

[lawaetf1]

My home ISP, speakeasy, announced the other day that they are offering VOIP. Considering that they also have a no-telco-service-required DSL package, one can pretty much drop off the grid. http://www.speakeasy.net/press/pr/pr092104.php

Re:I just don't get the allure of VOIP

[Em Ellel]

For home users anyway. I still need a phone line for DSL. I still need a phone line for emergency services (VOIP won't work if the rest of the power is out, the regular phone was). I rarely make long distance calls. Maybe it's just not for me?

A - Cable modems or non-phone based "DSL" (wireless broadband, etc.)

B - Business uses - especially intersite PBX bridging and off-site extensions

C - Cheap international

D - A great deal of POTS service network is running or planning to run VOIP behind the scenes instead of analog connection with SS7 control protocol.

HTH

Em

AT&T Jerks Around Telco Vendors

[Blackbird_Highway]

I've worked as a design engineer in the telecom equipment field for many years. Time after time, I've seen AT&T jerk around telco equipment makers. They always have some special requirements, that are completely different than all the other carriers. They always promise some huge order, if you'll just spend months developing customized equipment just for them. Then later on, they say "Oh, never mind, we've changed our minds. We don't want that anymore". The first time it happened, I thought it was the company I worked for that somehow screwed up the deal. Then it happened again, then again at a different company. Then I talked to engineers at other companies, and they had all had the same experience! This looks like AT&T just wants to jerk that chain again.