Phone.com Goes Live with New Communications Services for Small Businesses and Households

December 11, 2007; 10:17 AM
BOSTON — Phone.com commences operations with the introduction of IP-based phone services targeting entrepreneurs and households. Designed as a one-stop portal for communications services, Phone.com features new Virtual Office and Home Phone offerings with plans starting at $9.88 per month.  The company is also in the developmental stages of several additional communications technologies and anticipates adding new products in the first half of 2008.
 
Founded by entrepreneur and philanthropist Mike Mann, and VoIP veteran Ari Rabban, Phone.com combines brand management with innovative technologies to create new options for consumer and small business communications services.  
 
Mann, who is also the founder and chairman of WashingtonVC, a private equity incubator for hi-tech companies, notes “our vision is for individuals to recognize Phone.com as ‘The New Phone.Company’ – their best source for inexpensive and powerful communications tools that will ultimately enhance their lives and businesses while saving them money.  We are excited about the product offerings and very proud to back them up with our outstanding technical and customer support team – based in the US and available toll free and via chat 24/7.”
 
Phone.com products provide the ability to customize a variety of phone services for professional or personal use, and to modify their operations as needed via the user-friendly web interface or customer service agents.  
 
“As small businesses and individuals rely ever more on the Internet for their everyday activities, they also desire phone services that can be controlled and operated seamlessly from any location or handheld device,” said Rabban, CEO of Phone.com. “Phone.com is at the forefront of a more affordable and convenient way for everyone to tap into high quality emerging telecommunications and Internet technologies.  We are especially excited about our unique Virtual Office product, which is tailored to the underserved population of small and ‘SOHO’ business owners - estimated at 20 million in the US and growing at about 5% per year.”
 
According to a recent report by In-Stat, US SOHO (small office/home office) businesses are beginning to gravitate towards VoIP, the technology that is the backbone of Phone.com offerings.  Of SOHOs that use VoIP, 32% of respondents said it is the exclusive means by which they communicate.  In response to this growing trend, Phone.com offers flexible, cost-effective IP-based communications services that operate from multiple locations – home, office, or mobile phones – and which will scale with the needs of its customers.
 
PHONE.COM VIRTUAL OFFICE

Focusing on infrastructure requirements and budgets of small businesses, the Phone.com Virtual Office offers sophisticated features that are also easy to use. Starting at $9.88 per month, the Phone.com Virtual Office enables businesses to either port their own number or request a local, vanity and/or toll-free number and then “build” a virtual business phone system from an extensive selection of features, including auto attendant, phone extensions, voicemail, fax services, and many other private branch exchange (PBX)-like features and applications.  
 
Phone.com’s Virtual Office is also appropriate for businesses with international calling needs, whether they are based in the US or abroad.  Virtual Office offers subscribers the ability to set up a US number for clients to dial, with all calls then forwarded to the designated international number. Additionally, calls routed to land lines in eight countries will be charged at US domestic rates: Canada, Israel, Puerto Rico, England, France, Germany, Italy, and Holland.
 
Key features of the Virtual Office service are Phone.com’s “Follow Me Calling” and “SMS Voicemail Notification,” which can be customized for each user.  “Follow Me Calling” enables customers to forward incoming Virtual Office calls to four different numbers, ringing each location for a set time until the call is answered. “SMS Voicemail Notification” sends users a text message alerting them of any voicemails still remaining on the Virtual Office system.  

PHONE.COM HOME PHONE

In addition to its Virtual Office package, Phone.com offers a service for residences called Home Phone. Using VoIP technology, Phone.com’s Home Phone product features high-quality digital voice services with advanced features including the ability to take your service with you upon traveling.
 
“Our Home Phone service is notably easy to set-up and offers the best customer service in the industry.  We are confident that our product will satisfy customers who are seeking alternative phone solutions.  We are also beginning a process of consumer education to explain the value of Phone.com technologies when applied to their everyday needs,” added Rabban.

About Phone.com
Phone.com is a one-stop portal offering a suite of innovative, economical phone services designed for entrepreneurs and households.  Powered by VoIP and SaaS technologies, the company currently offers its first two Internet-based communications products, Virtual Office for small businesses and Home Phone for consumers, with plans to introduce additional new products in 2008.  Phone.com’s mission is to leverage its memorable domain name, competitive telecommunications capabilities and outstanding 24/7 customer support to service a significant market share of SOHO (small office/home office) businesses and households.  Phone.com, founded in 2007, is headquartered in Boston and is funded primarily by WashingtonVC and Internet Real Estate Group.  For more information please visit www.phone.com.