Posted: 15th Jul, 2004 By: MarkJ
BT has today introduced a mass market voice over the Internet (VoIP) product called '
BT Communicator with Yahoo! Messenger'. The product should put phone calls, web cam, e-mails, texts and instant messaging together in one place on a users PC:
BT hails a communications revolution with the launch of mass market voice over the internet in the UK
BT is transforming the way people communicate with the launch of a mass market voice over the internet product - BT Communicator with Yahoo! Messenger. This new product from BT and Yahoo!. will, for the first time, allow consumers to manage all their home communications - phone calls, webcam, emails, texts and instant messaging - together in one place on their PC, with multi way video calls expected to be added in 2005.
BT Communicator with Yahoo! Messenger is an integrated software package, downloadable for free over the internet. It combines voice services over the web with Yahoo!'s instant messaging to give consumers a truly converged multi-media communications experience.
BT is the first telco in the world to join forces with a major internet company like Yahoo! to offer this type of service on this scale - making it available to over 19 million* consumers in the UK who have a BT line.
Users of the new service will be able to make free calls when connecting from their PC to another PC or make calls to a landline or mobile from their computer but for the same cost as a phone call on their BT Together fixed line phone package. From today, customers can make UK phone calls on their BT Together package - potentially from anywhere in the world.
Customers can take their laptop abroad and then plug it into the internet. While online, BT's VoIP technology then allows an international call to be made back to any UK number for the price of a domestic UK call.
Users simply click on their address book and the PC will dial the number requested and put the call through with the cost being billed straight back to the users BT phone bill.
BT is also using the same technology to develop a multi way video call feature - enabling people to dial their friends or family and speak to them face-to-face - just at the click of a button. The video feature will be available to customers in 2005.
For further information please go to http://www.bt.com/btcommunicator .