Net2Phone in Web phone pact with Panasonic - WSJ
NEW YORK, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Internet phone company Net2Phone
Inc. <NTOP.O> and Panasonic Consumer Electronics Co. are
planning to launch a line of telephones that feature a special
button to connect to Internet phone networks, the Wall Street
Journal reported.
In its Wednesday electronic edition, the Journal said the
pact, expected to be announced Wednesday, could widen the reach
of Internet calls by making it easier for consumers to dial into
the lower-cost Internet networks.
Until now, companies such as Net2Phone have been able to get
callers onto their service only by registering them online and
asking them to dial special access numbers. Internet calls
routed from computer to computer generally do not require such a
code.
The agreement with Panasonic calls for a new line of "One
Touch" cordless phones that will allow consumers to choose
between their regular long distance service and Net2Phone by
pressing an Internet button on the phone, the Journal said.
It will be the first Internet-enabled telephone introduced
by Panasonic, one of the world's largest phone manufacturers and
a unit of Japan's Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd.
<6752.T>, the paper said. The phones are expected in stores by
May with a price tag of $70 to $80, the paper said.
Net2Phone, Hackensack, N.J., which went public in July, has
recently signed a string of agreements to widen the availability
of its service with companies ranging from America Online Inc.
<AOL.N> to 1-800Flowers.com Inc. <FLWS.O>.
AOL is one of Net2Phone's biggest investors.
((New York Newsdesk 212 859-1700))
REUTERS
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