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Vonage adds unlimited international plan for mobile phones

December 24th, 2009, 3:50 pm by

Vonage World MobileNoted: Vonage phone service, which isn’t just for the home anymore, introduced Vonage World Mobile, an unlimited international plan to users of its newish Vonage Mobile plan. Qualified devices include the iPhone, iPod Touch and BlackBerry.

The Internet phone company introduced the mobile phone service in October, which charged per call. The new unlimited mobile international plan to  60 countries is $24.99 per month. The mobile service uses Wi-Fi and cellular service (iPod Touches only use Wi-Fi) and relies on the customer’s cell phone number to make calls. Calls to U.S. numbers are free using Wi-Fi.

Not every international city is included — no Vietnam — and looks like calls to cell phones in Mexico aren’t part of the deal either. Here’s the complete list of countries: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Cell phones • • • • • • • • • • • | 2 Comments »

Best home phone service? Winner isn’t a phone company

September 17th, 2009, 9:31 am by

Cox CableIn this wacky world of telecom service, the highest ranked telephone service in the West isn’t a telephone company, according to the 2009 J.D. Power report on  Residential Telephone Customer Satisfaction.

Cable TV provider Cox Communications took the lead in the West and East regions of the United States for having the most satisfied telephone customers. (The North and South regions also had TV companies offering phone service ranked at top.) It was the third year that traditional cable  TV companies were at the top. (Click image below to enlarge)

J.D. Power ranks Cox as top phone service in West.

This may sound like a coup, but don’t forget, last year’s TV service winners were the traditional phone companies, AT&T and Verizon. (Read earlier story: “What TV service has most satisfied customers? (Hint: Not cable)“)

Consumers are looking for alternatives to their long time TV or telephone provider. And in Orange County in the last few years, we’ve been getting that as Time Warner and Cox add phone service, and AT&T and Verizon add TV service. What the JD Power reports really show is that competition is improving service. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: service • • • • • • • • | 12 Comments »

Do you qualify for $6.11 phone service?

September 14th, 2009, 10:16 am by

California LifeLine telephone programPsst… Did you know AT&T offers landline telephone service for $6.11 per month? And in some cases, it’s only $1?

There’s no secret handshake or special coupon code. You just can’t make more than $24,000 a year, or $34,000 for a family of four. To get the $1 monthly bill, you need to live on a tribal lands.

There are 2.1 million people enrolled in the state’s LifeLine program, according to the California Public Utilities Commission, which oversees the program and is promoting this week’s California LifeLine Awareness Week, through Sept. 20. But apparently, many more consumers qualify. If your income has dipped for the worse, you may be part of this group. Here are the limits:

Household size Income Limit
1-2 members $24,000
3 members $28,200
4 members $34,000
For each additional member, add $5,800

California’s LifeLine program has been sagging as people opt to switch to cell phones, said Christopher Chow, a spokesman for the CPUC. The good news is that California is working on a basic plan for cell phone users as well. A decision could be made by next month, he said. (Verizon apparently offers a wireless LifeLine program outside of California.)

LifeLine Service Rate
Flat-Rate Local (unlimited local calls) $5.47 to $6.11 or 1/2 carrier’s rate.
Measured Local (60 local calls/month) $2.91 to $3.27 or 1/2 of carrier’s rate
Consumers in Tribal Lands $1.00 per month.
Service Connection $10 or 1/2 of carrier’s charge
Service Conversion $10 or 1/2 of carrier’s charge
Deposit $0 for local service
Toll-blocking/ restriction $0

California’s LifeLine program has been sagging as people opt to switch to cell phones, said Christopher Chow, a spokesman for the CPUC. The good news is that California is working on a basic plan for cell phone users as well. A decision could be made by next month, he said. (Verizon apparently offers a wireless LifeLine program outside of California.)

A bunch of events for the special LifeLine awareness event are taking place this week, including today’s workshop at the Lake Forest Senior Club at 11 a.m. (The Lake Forest Senior Club is at Lake Forest City Hall, 25550 Commercentre Dr., Suite 100 in Lake Forest.)

More events scheduled throughout the state are available on the CPUC’s web site at this LINK.

For consumers who qualify for LifeLine based on income, instructions are available HERE to get basic phone service for $6 or less per month. AT&T’s rates are some of the lowest, but Verizon and cable TV provider Cox Communications offer similar discounts to California residents.

Links:

Past stories on landline phone service:

Posted in: Cell phones • news • • • • • • • • | 2 Comments »

Complaints to FCC about cable, satellite TV up 346 percent

September 9th, 2009, 9:02 am by

The number of complaints against cable and satellite TV service jumped 346 percent in the first three months this year compared to the same period last year, according to a report released by the Federal Communications Commission.

Cable/Sat complaints 1Q 2009 1Q 2008 % change
DTV transition 170 n/a
Service 344 176 95%
Marketing & Advertising 381 n/a
Billing & Rates 583 238 145%
Programming 2,635 380 593%
Total 4,113 923 346%

While that may sound high, cable and satellite TV services received the fewest number of complaints compared to other telecom services tracked by the FCC. The agency tracks inquiries and complaints about TV, cable and satellite, wireless and wireline phone services.

During the first quarter 2009, it was TV service with the most complaints, at 188,588, up a whopping 548 percent from the fourth quarter. The FCC cited the nation’s switch to digital TV broadcasts first in February and then delayed till June, which caused confusion and a lot of headache even among consumers unaffected by the change.

In the same period, cable and satellite TV had 4,113 complaints, up 96 percent.

While the FCC compared first quarter figures with the  fourth quarter of 2008, I pulled up last year’s first quarter as a comparison. Last year, the FCC registered 923 complaints about cable and satellite TV during the first quarter. This year, the number jumped to 4,113 complaints.

Either there really are more things to complain about when it comes to paid TV or consumers are finally noticing the FCC has a complaint button:

FCC complaint button: http://j.mp/aqyM1

The biggest complaint in 2009 was over programming issues, followed by billing and rates, advertising and then service. In 2008, biggest complaints were in this order: programming, billing and service. Blanks in the chart mean there was not a similar reason for complaint during years. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Cell phones • Video & TV • • • • • • • • | 15 Comments »

Verizon, AT&T waive phone fees for fire victims

September 4th, 2009, 10:48 am by

Utility companies waive charges for fire victims. If you or someone you know has been affected by the current Southern California fires, AT&T and Verizon are offering simple ways to restore service.

For Verizon phone customers, call 1-800-483-1000 to:

  • Get charges waived for moving home phone service to a new house or to reestablish service at a rebuilt location.
  • Get free call forwarding or free voice mail for 12 months
  • Offers are also available to business customers by calling 1-800-483-2000.

AT&T offers similar services:

  • Establish new service at a temporary or permanent location and waive the installation charge.
  • Call forwarding automatically forwards calls to any phone number customers choose.
  • Remote access to call forwarding allows customers to dial in and direct normal home phone calls to another number from any phone.
  • Message Center allows users to retrieve messages left at their home phone line from any location as well as leave a greeting telling callers their status.
  • Residential customers displaced by the fires can call 1-888-338-3291 Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to set up the free phone services.

If I learn of other utilities offering help to fire victims, I will add it to this list.

Related stories from OCRegister.com:

Posted in: news • • • • • | 1 Comment »

Vonage still in business, adds unlimited calling to China, Mexico, the world

August 20th, 2009, 8:17 am by

Vonage adds unlimited calls to 60 countries.Vonage, the Internet-based phone service that acts just like regular home phone service, added another feature today to lure more people into giving up their home phone: Unlimited international calls.

Vonage World becomes the new core plan from the company. The core plan, which already included unlimited calls in the U.S. and to many cities in Europe, is $24.99 a month. There’s no extra fee to add Vonage World for these customers. (Really, the only other plan is Vonage’s basic 500-minute plan, which at $17.99 a month seems expensive.

The Vonage World plan includes all calls to landlines but as with many unlimited global plans, calls to cell phone lines can cost extra depending on the city. Calls to mobile lines in Mexico and the United Kingdom, for example, will cost extra. But based on the list below, there are still several countries that include calls to mobile lines. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Cell phones • • • • • • • | 7 Comments »

Would you keep your home phone for $5 a month?

February 19th, 2009, 8:02 am by

With more people dropping their landline in favor of Internet phones or cell phones, here’s a thought: Would you keep your home phone line for $5 a month? 

Verizon is considering doing just that, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

But for $5, customers will only be able to receive calls or dial 911. They can’t make any calls. Still, that’s not a bad price if you already have a cell phone and just want an emergency backup in case your cell phone battery dies.

The telephone company wants to boost or the dwindling number of landline users — it lost 3.7 million landlines or 9.3 percent of its base last year. 

If the offer sounds tempting, keep in mind that the most basic landline services from AT&T and Verizon isn’t that expensive in the first place. AT&T just raised its rate to $13.50 a month, from $10.94. Low-income customers on AT&T’s Lifeline plan, meanwhile, pay between $1 to $6.11 per month (see AT&T’s California LifeLine page HERE).

Verizon, meanwhile, charges $16.85 to $24.14 for its basic flat-rate service. A regional plan for local calls starts around $11.

Other alternatives from the cellular and VoIP companies are being offered for as little as $10/month, although most require a separate high-speed Internet line. T-Mobile offers its @Home unlimited local and long-distance service for $10 a month. Vonage, a VoIP service, has a $17.99 monthly plan with unlimited incoming calls and 500 minutes of outgoing calls.

And don’t forget, even if you cancel phone service, Verizon and AT&T are supposed to keep the lines “warm” so you’ll be able to dial 911 in an emergency. A small bit of electricity will continue to flow through the lines so even if you don’t get a dial tone, the phone should light up. Read my earlier report on this: “911 still works if you discontinue phone service.”

More telephone news: Check out the Gadgetress Guide to local cell phone services. Related stories on landline telephone service:

Posted in: news • • • • • • • | 4 Comments »

Verizon Wireless’ pricey new home-phone service

January 26th, 2009, 10:06 am by

A new home-phone service is coming to Orange County (well, to everywhere in the nation, but I write about O.C.).

It’s from a familiar name in the telephone business: Verizon. But instead of the old-school landline Verizon, this is Verizon Wireless, the cell phone company. It plans to start selling an interesting new touch-screen telephone plus service beginning February 1. Here’s what “The Hub” looks like (click to enlarge):

The Hub reminds me of the home-of-the-future idea that tech companies have been trying to pitch for more than a few decades. As you can see from the image, the Hub is essentially a mini-computer with one-click access to contacts, calendar, traffic reports, local pizza numbers, movie information, etc. There are a lot of snazzy features, including the ability to watch movie trailers, turn it into a digital picture frame and send and receive text messages. It offers many of the same features as a Verizon Wireless cell phone. Maybe the time is finally right for this networked device?

As more consumers have dropped their home phone line in favor of depending solely on a cell phone, the Hub looks like an attempt to entice the rest of us to drop our landline.

The service is based on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), so users will need broadband Internet service.

Then there’s the price… You’ll need a chunk of cash to get started. Expect to pay $235 upfront ($199.99 for the phone after a $50 rebate and $34.99 activation fee).

Plus you must commit to a 2-year-contract. But the initial $235 plus $35/month for service is way more than some people pay for home phone service. So, this isn’t about saving money. This is really about replacing home phone service with, um, newer home phone service and a fancy phone.

There are many other ways to save money, including canceling home phone service and relying on your cell phone.  Switching to a cheaper VoIP provider, such as the nearly-free Skype, Packet 8 ($25/month), or Vonage ($25/month). Even Verizon’s own VoIP service, VoiceWing, is cheaper, at $24.95 for unlimited calling.

Or there’s even a similar, much cheaper service from T-Mobile. Its @Home phone service (reviewed here in June 2008) is $9.99/month. It doesn’t include a phone, but offers a converter box that lets you plug in your home’s current phone. Caveats: You must be a T-Mobile wireless subscriber and you need broadband Internet.

More from the web:

Mobile news from Gadgetress:

Posted in: Cell phones • Wi-Fi & networking • • • • • | 10 Comments »

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