AT&T re-launching VoIP service

Great to see one of my predictions for 2008 coming true. AT&T is re-packaging and re-launching its VoIP offering. Having met less than exciting demand for its VoIP over DSL, the telco is re-launching the same offering over its much celebrated U-Verse fiber network. And that makes a lot of sense. The voice quality would certainly be much better. However pricing is rather depressing: $40 per month just for the voice plan!!

AT&T has had reasonable amount of success with its IPTV offering over U-Verse. If AT&T makes a success out of VoIP, it will be the second most successful triple play offering over fiber - after NTT’s in Japan. VoIP and IPTV over fiber has helped NTT become the leading triple play player in the world with over 4 million VoIP customers and just under half a million IPTV customers.

There is one more hitch in AT&T's re-packaged VoIP. Apart from the astronomical price, the telco uses its in-house proprietary solution for VoIP. Vonage’s patent woes exemplify difficulties service providers run into with proprietary solutions as they scale upwards. AT&T in fact uses a plethora of VoIP products. There is a bit of Verso, a bit of UTStarcom, a bit of Sylantro, a bit of Lucent, and a bit of Sonus in there. AT&T uses a lot of proprietary software around these VoIP elements. I have just heard that the re-launched U-Verse offering is based on Lucent platform.