marshall ,
here's a glimpse at the future of telephone long distance rates. netcom is the first ISP in canada to offer long distance service, more will follow soon. :))
NETCOM CANADA OFFERS CUSTOMERS LONG DISTANCE SERVICE
Business Long Distance Calls For Just 10 Cents Per Minute
TORONTO, Aug. 26 /CNW/ - Netcom Canada, one of the country's leading Internet Service Providers (ISPs), today announced it has begun offering long distance telephone service to its customers for just ten cents per minute any time, any day, anywhere in Canada. Calls to the U.S. are only 12.5 cents per minute, any time, any day.
The announcement marks Canada's first entry into the competitive
long-distance marketplace by a national Internet Service Provider.
While ten-cent minutes are generally available for evening and weekend calling, until now most small businesses have had to pay 15 cents or more for daytime long-distance calls.
''We are very pleased to be able to offer our customers such outstanding savings. We are bringing long-distance rates to small businesses, which up to now have only been available to the largest companies with very high-volume calling,'' said Ron Close, president of Netcom Canada.
''Ten cents a minute, any time, is a very attractive rate, representing significant savings for Canadian small businesses from Netcom Canada,'' said Ian Angus, president of Ajax, Ont.-based Angus TeleManagement Group and co-editor of the newsletter Telemanagement. ''Netcom has also made it very simple and convenient for small businesses to order and implement their services.''
Leveraging on its position as a major player in the Internet market, Netcom Canada is taking the first in a series of steps, to provide its customers with the simplicity and convenience of obtaining multiple communication services from a single company.
With its long-distance service launch, Netcom Canada is also bundling free long-distance calling with many of its business Internet services. For example, customers using a Netcom Canada dedicated ISDN get 500 minutes of free Canadian long distance for 12 months. Customers using Netcom's individual dial-up Internet service get their first $10 of long-distance calling free.
All customers will be able to keep track of their phone usage by using the convenience of the Internet. They will be able to view their call detail the very next day through a secure web page on the Net, as well as their monthly invoice which can be downloaded as a spreadsheet for analysis.
''Automating a customer's ordering, provisioning and billing functions using the Internet gives us a distinct cost advantage over the telephone companies, and these are the savings we're passing along to our customers,'' said Close.
Netcom's long-distance service also offers excellent savings on
international calls, with rates such as 15 cents per minute to the U.K. In addition, all calls are billed by the second after the first minute, for even greater savings.
The announcement follows the recent merger of Netcom's U.S. parent with Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) ICG Communications. Both companies merged earlier this year to become a leading Integrated Communications Provider (ICP) offering customers a single source for all of their voice, data, Internet, Web hosting and other communications services needs.
ICG Netcom recently announced the availability of low-cost long-distance using IP telephony. The Netcom Canada long-distance service is not IP telephony. It provides high-quality, conventional long-distance service, with no changes to customer dialing patterns, through a resale agreement with one of Canada's largest long-distance carriers.
''Our customers can be sure that this enhanced long-distance calling, at ten cents per minute, any time, anywhere in Canada, is only the beginning of additional communication services from Netcom. We will leverage our strength in the Internet world, and use it to make life simpler and more productive for our customers across the communications spectrum,'' added Close.
Netcom customers wishing to sign up for the long-distance service can do so on-line at www.netcom.ca/lds or by calling 1-888-811-6301.
About Netcom Canada
Toronto-based Netcom Canada Inc. is a subsidiary of NETCOM On-Line
Communication Services, Inc. With a dedicated Canadian staff of 150 people, Netcom is one of the most reliable and fastest-growing Internet companies in
Canada.
Leveraging years of Internet experience, Netcom's goal is to deliver Quality, Simplicity and Value to its customers, enabling them to harness the power of the Net for their business or residential use. Netcom was the first national Internet company to offer flat-rate service in Canada, the first to offer nationwide 56Kbps access and the first to offer a 99.5% performance guarantee for business services.
NETCOM On-Line Communication Services, Inc. of San Jose, Calif., is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ICG Communications, Inc. Internet users can learn more about Netcom Canada on-line at: netcom.ca.
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About ICG Netcom
Based in Englewood, Colo., ICG Netcom, the brand name for products and services from ICG Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: ICGX) and ICG's subsidiary, NETCOM On-Line Communication Services, Inc., is a leading Integrated Communications Provider (ICP) offering high-quality telecommunications services. |
