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EarthLink Launches Free VoIP

00:00:00 - 06 October 2004

One of the nation's leading Internet service providers, EarthLink (www.earthlink.net) announced the launch of EarthLink Free Online Calling, a service which enables EarthLink High Speed access subscribers to make Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls free-of-charge.

The VoIP service, Free Online Calling, is based on SIP, the session initiation protocol, and users will only be able to place calls to other people using SIP-based VoIP services. EarthLink Free Online calling is powered by client-side software from Xten Networks.

EarthLink said it has peering relationships with two of the leading SIP-using VoIP service providers, SIPphone (www.sipphone.com) and Free World Dialup (www.pulver.com/fwd/).

"EarthLink Free Online Calling is part of our overall strategy to develop and deploy a full suite of data and voice-based communication applications," said Tom Andrus, vice president of products and services at EarthLink.  "With the debut of EarthLink's latest VoIP service, our broadband subscribers can call and talk with friends and family over the Internet for free."

FWD's Jeff Pulver wrote in his blog that EarthLink had approached Pulver about a partnership under which FWD would provide the VoIP infrastructure for the service.

Pulver wrote that he turned down the deal because EarthLink wanted FWD to carry the cost of scaling its infrastructure to support the new users and because the customers would remain EarthLink's.

EarthLink said it will continue to offer its year-old flat-rate broadband telephony service, EarthLink Unlimited Voice, which enables IP calls to any phone over a broadband connection.
This new offering reflects EarthLink's continuing efforts to be a leader in the deployment of VoIP services.

Last year, the company became the first major ISP to offer a comprehensive VoIP solution, EarthLink Unlimited Voice, providing subscribers with a flat-rate, broadband telephony service that includes features to reach wireless or traditional land-based telephones.

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