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EarthLink Begins Testing Wireless VoIP Handset for Municipal Wi-Fi Networks

6:30 am on March 22, 2007 | Category: Internet, Telecom Services, VoIP, Wi-Fi

Atlanta-based ISP, EarthLink, has started beta testing a new VoIP handset capable of making and receiving calls over municipal Wi-Fi networks.

The phones are manufactured by Accton Technology, and are now being made available to select beta testers in Anaheim, California, where EarthLink currently operates a citywide wireless broadband network.

Although wireless VoIP services is being offered at no cost during the testing phase, EarthLink has announced several pricing plans that will be available to customers following the new phone’s commercial launch. A start-up kit including the handset itself, along with a charger that also functions as a Wi-Fi router, will be offered at a cost of $100. Monthly service, meanwhile, will cost $14.95/month for 500 minutes, or $24.95/month for unlimited use.

“What separates our Wi-Fi phone from others is its ability to work over EarthLink’s municipal Wi-Fi networks,” explained EarthLink’s senior vice president of voice, Steve Howe. “This means that EarthLink is now bringing cheap phone calls using the Internet to the world of mobile — a major breakthrough.”

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