Teton Wireless, Idaho Falls, Idaho, has launched the first VoIP (Voice Over I.P.) calling services for residents of Idaho and Montana.
The Teton service, tagged "Internet Home Phone Service," enables anyone with a broadband Internet connection to make local and long distance calls over the Internet, without a local telephone service provider. A special adapter is required to connect a standard telephone to a broadband router.
"Hooking up the Internet phone service is truly 'plug and play,'" stated Kari Alcala, Teton product manager for the new telephone service. "The Internet infrastructure is invisible to the end user, it's just like using any home phone. You even get local telephone numbers."
"We're committed to providing high quality, low cost services to our customers in Idaho and Montana," said Teton Wireless CEO and Owner Willis "Gene" Twiner. "Most of the deployments of Internet voice services have been rolled out by very large cable providers in the major metropolitan areas. And a lot of cable companies are still evaluating their voice plans. We are excited to be making 'voice over IP' -- another state of the art technology solution -- available in our rural market areas."
"Voice Over IP" generally means sending voice information in digital form in discrete packets over the Internet rather than via the traditional circuit-committed protocols of the public switched telephone network (PSTN). A major advantage of VoIP, also called Internet telephony, is that it avoids the tolls charged by ordinary telephone service.
"Our customers are looking for one source for their television, Internet and phone services, just like customers in big cities. And they want to save money when they buy all these services from one provider," said Jessica Peters, Customer Service Manager for Teton Wireless. "We've got a 'triple play' solution now that is cost effective and widely available."
"Adding voice to our existing video and Internet access services was simple to implement," according to Tom Carey, Teton Director of Engineering. "The privately licensed frequencies making up Teton's wireless network are very robust, and most IP applications work seamlessly over our infrastructure. The extremely low latency makes our delivery ideal for voice."
Carey noted that Teton is also looking at delivering other applications over their Internet service in the future, including an expanded video package including pay per view movies, and expanded Internet service areas. "The Internet service changes how we compete," Carey observed. "We deliver a great big pipe right to your home. Because we're wireless, the service is nearly ubiquitous, you're not tied to any cable or DSL lines. And a lot of content can be carried on that pipe, just about anywhere."
Orders are being accepted for the Internet phone service immediately. Pricing is $139 for the special telephone adapter, and the first month's service is free. Regular monthly rates are $29.99 for unlimited local and long distance calls to the United States and Canada.
About Teton Wireless
Teton Wireless is the leading provider of wireless broadband, video and voice services in the Mountain States and is a division of Teewinot Licensing. Incorporated in 1995, Teton Wireless owns and operates MMDS Internet and video operations serving over 25,000 customers in Idaho Falls, Twin Falls, and Pocatello, Idaho, and Missoula and Hamilton, Montana. Teton Wireless also owns MMDS licenses in Wyoming, Washington, and eastern Idaho.
For more information, call 208/529-8895 or visit http://www.tetonwireless.com.




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