Phone.com Introduces Hosted HD VoIP Service

HD (high-definition) voice is getting increasing attention from both users and providers of business VoIP services. It offers a number of advantages over standard voice calling, especially in business situations. It makes calls less fatiguing, and different accents easier to understand. Until now, though, smaller businesses have had trouble taking advantage of the technology. To fill the gap, Phone.com has just added HD voice capability to its hosted phone service for SMBs.

HD voice delivers more than double the audio range between phones that standard calls do. In practical terms, that means users can hear sounds more than two octaves lower, and quite a bit higher, than with conventional calls. The increased range makes it easier to distinguish between similar sounds such as s and f, and to understand unfamiliar pronunciation. Thus users don't have to work so hard to figure out what was said, a particularly welcome benefit during long conference calls.

Phone.com's move makes HD voice available to users of its hosted "Virtual Office" business phone service. Customers need merely buy HD phones, and be talking to other users who also have HD phones, to take advantage of it. Phone.com is currently selling Polycom business phones to those who are interested, including SoundStation conference phones and SoundPoint desktop phones. It will expand its range of offerings in coming months.

Phone.com's Virtual Office packages start at $14.88 per month (or $9.88 per month for yearly payment) for a plan providing one phone number and 300 minutes per month of outbound calling. A 2,500-minute plan with three phone numbers goes for $74.88 per month, or $69.88 on a yearly basis. Both come with a complete set of call handling features including auto attendant/IVR, hold music, dial by name and click to call. Phone.com also offers virtual number and home phone services.

Comments

[Michael S Collins]

Which codec(s) and sampling rate(s) does this support?