This news is worth celebrating 100 times more even if just 1% of the customers’ user experience is more than what they could get with POTS. I am thinking of features like enhanced call handling, ability to send/receive text message, ability to switch from voice to text.

aswath, you certainly have a way with words. I assume, cablevision is aswath approved? just checking…

I just can’t get excited about Comcast’s offer…something like $35 per month…at the end of the day, it is not cheaper than my package from the Bell…although, i acknowledge the Comcast offer is significantly more feature rich.

“Bells have been talking up IPTV and what not, but in reality have few customers to show for all that talk.”

Regulations drafted in a different era combined with cable legal challenges and noise making in various jurisdictions have done a good job at quelling a quick and massive IPTV rollout.

I’ve always assumed that Cable VoIP would kill Vonage. I’m only surprised it still hasn’t happened yet. Why Vonage didn’t sell out for maybe $1B two years ago is the great unanswered questions of Bubble 2.0

Thanks for the report, Om. In my neck of the wood, in the Southeast, Brighthouse Networks is making money by the truck load. With over 250,000 VoIP customers in AL and FL at $39.95 at month for VoIP, you can do the math.

I prefer my VoIP service much less expensive so their bandwagon passed me by. In spite of recent reports “praising” cableco voip services, I need to pass on that too.
Customer service is OK from them but delivery (installation techs) of that service is less than par.

Oh and unrelated but important in the Cablevision area: Verizon is full steam ahead with FiOS TV service rollouts in the northeast (Cablevision core area). It will be interesting to see how (or if) increases in VoIP revenue will fill in the gap of less cable related revenues by pressure from Verizon.

Surely you’re joking Mr. Malik. :-)

Isn’t Cablevision’s service just like any other - standard telephony features. They could offer an enhanced ATA that provides enahnced signaling to the handset, or a handset that can be used to do text messaging and so on. Let us keep in mind that, there are places where one can do text messaging over the standard copper landlines.

I’m in the NY area and I’ve got to say, Cablevision’s VoIP service leaves a lot to be desired. Their triple play rate is only a limited time promotion, the quality of service is lacking and initially, I could not even dial internationally - period.

I’m a big believer in VoIP services, but Cablevision has yet to win me over. The claim from Cablevision about saving subscribers money is probably “hypothetical” based on average usage per customer. Cable Cos are making money on the breakage (the same as anyone).

As you might have guessed, I’m still with a Bell.

Forget the numbers. The first time the Southeast experiences a hurricane OR the Northeast a blackout, VOIP users will leave in droves when they go to call Auntie M looking for Toto but find their VOIP router is down.

If I were the Bells, I would sell the fear of the VOIP phone not working when the power goes out. I would also sell to the largest disaster prone markets - gulf coast, CA, Northeast etc.

I dont think price will be the driver. Just one guys take.

If I were Bell, I would offer (over the POTS lines) the features promised by VoIP technology, but not being offered by service providers who use that technology. But will they?

Maybe. But the net-sensitivity issue for VOIP isn’t going to go away, whether the phone companies exploit it or not. Besides, this is a pizza-price war. Phone companies are offering a year of 1.5M DSL for $15 right now, too.

I remember not that long ago when you could commonly get a large Domino’s pizza for less than $10. Price wars end eventually.

Cable is smart in doing the land-grab, don’t get me wrong. But the E911 and outage issues will grow, not shrink, over time.

Yes, E911 is an issue, but outages? What about a UPS? They’re pretty cheap now, and if there’s a an outage that knocks out my voip for longer than the UPS lasts, it’s likely to have impacted the POTS as well. I’m out here in CA and during our last earthquake, the power went out, but the phone lines stayed live. However, when trying to make calls–no joy. It was just about impossible; we ended up using our cells.

I think, as the general public becomes more aware that internet phone calling exists and that it isn’t necessarily more complicated than what they’re used to, the scare tactics will have less effect than the PhoneCos are hoping for.