After a brief trial that began late last year, Verizon's new home-phone service—which lets you make unlimited domestic calls on a traditional landline phone for $20 a month, all with the help of a wireless router that taps into the carrier's cellular network—is now open for business.
Word of Verizon's Home Phone Connect service first surfaced back in December, and Boy Genius Report spotted a promo for the plan on the Verizon Wireless website on Thursday.
Initial reports about Home Phone Connect (including my own) had it that the service would only be open to existing Verizon Wireless subscribers, but from looks of the latest promo, it appears that anyone—including new customers—can sign up.
Here's how it works (and keep in mind that I haven't tested the service myself yet): You take any standard landline phone and simply plug it into Verizon's AC-powered Home Phone Connect base station, which looks like a home Wi-Fi router.
Once it's activated (and yes, you can port over your home phone number if you like), the Home Connect service offers up your usual menu of calling services—including call waiting, forwarding, caller ID, three-way calling, voice mail, and 911 service—along with unlimited calling to any U.S. number, for $20 a month.
Another option is add a line to an existing Verizon Wireless family plan for $10 a month, although your new home phone will have to share minutes with everyone else on the plan.
There's also the cost of the base station to consider: $129, with discounts available if you sign a contract (free for a two-year commitment, or $50 with a one year contract).
Verizon Wireless isn't the first cell phone carrier to offer a home-phone service; after all, T-Mobile had its @Home service up and running back in 2008. But T-Mobile shuttered @Home last year.
Besides competing with traditional landlines service, Verizon's Home Connect plan is also up against such bargain (or free) broadband-based alternatives as Skype, Ooma, MagicJack, and Vonage.
MagicJack, for example, lets you make VoIP calls on your home phone (with a little help from your PC and a broadband connection) for as little as $20 a year after a 12-month free trial.
But Verizon argues you don't need a broadband connection to use Home Phone Connect. The wireless base station also boasts a GPS chip that pinpoints your position when making a 911 call (VoIP service usually require you to register your address for 911 service), along with a battery pack in case of a power outage.
So, would you consider trading in your landline (assuming you still have one) for Verizon's new home-phone service? Or would you rather go the VoIP way?
— Ben Patterson is a technology blogger for Yahoo! News.
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