..(adelphia is now going to rollout cable telephony; says they haven't decided where, or which equipment they will try out)
More MSOs Join IP Telephony Parade While Rivals Gear Up
Cablevision Extends Service Throughout NY Region, Adelphia Plans Trials as Vonage and Peer-to-Peer Player Skype Gain Steam
DECEMBER 01, 2003
By Alan Breznick, Editor, Cable Datacom News
Faced with strong, emerging competition in the IP telephony field, major cable operators are stepping up their plans to introduce voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) service across the U.S.
In probably the most ambitious venture right now, Cablevision Systems has started marketing its new Optimum Voice service throughout its entire suburban New York footprint. The MSO, which has nearly 3 million basic cable subscribers in its 4.4 million-home territory, is now offering the IP voice service to its 1 million Optimum Online high-speed Internet customers in Long Island and Westchester County, NY, as well as northern New Jersey and southwestern Connecticut.
High-speed data subscribers pay a flat rate of $34.95 for the non-lifeline service, which includes unlimited local, regional and long-distance calling across the U.S. and Canada. Customers also get five custom calling features--caller ID, call waiting, call return, three-way calling and call forwarding--plus emergency 911 service.
In addition, Cablevision is offering free professional installation of a voice-enabled cable modem for Optimum Online customers who add Optimum Voice or consumers who sign up for both services. And the modem is free for the life of the service.
Tom Rutledge, Cablevision's president of cable and communications, termed Optimum Voice "an excellent addition to Cablevision's expanding bundle of consumer entertainment and information services delivered over our upgraded network." Company executives declined to disclose more details about the rollout, which followed market trials on western Long Island earlier in the year.
At the same time, Time Warner Cable moved forward last month with its aggressive VoIP rollout schedule. The MSO, which introduced its first cable IP voice service with a soft launch in Portland, Maine last winter and then began fully marketing it in May, now reports close to 8,000 IP telephony customers in that market.
Plans still call for Time Warner to introduce VoIP commercially in three more markets before the end of the year--Rochester, N.Y. and two major North Carolina metro areas (presumably Raleigh and Charlotte). In preparation for these and other market launches, the company has gained regulatory approval to offer phone service from three states--Maine, New York and North Carolina---and has filed for certification in four more: Kansas, Missouri, Ohio and Texas.
While these two MSOs plunge ahead with their service rollouts, other large cable operators are preparing for technical and market trials. Besides the IP telephony trials previously announced by Cox Communications in Roanoke, Virg. and Comcast Corp. in Coatesvile, Penn., Indianapolis, Springfield, Mass. and Hartford, Conn., several trials by Adelphia Communications are now in the planning stages for next year.
Adelphia executives said they aim to conduct an unspecified number of technical and market trials in 2004 as they gear up for a commercial launch in 2005. Company officials have not yet decided where or when they will test the service or which equipment they will try out.
"We really just started the planning effort 30 to 60 days ago," said Joe Bagan, Adelphia's chief administrative officer and VoIP point person. "As far as VoIP goes, we hope to be a fast follower. We're not going to be a leader into it." |
