Technolog Im Our Lives 7 Voice Over Internet: A Powerful Co mmunication Tool (NAPSA)— The Internet has certainly brought many benefits to people’s lives—information at the touch of a button, new waysto shop, and the ability to connect with people through e-mail and you to get that important call wherever youare. Say you get a voicemail with major news you want to share across the family, Voicemail Access Through Web Browser allows you to forward it in e-mail. For the businessperson, the abil- instant messaging—just to name a few. This year, AT&T, the company that developed the telephone and cellular service, will launch the latest Internet innovation around ity to view and access your voice- voice communications with a nationwide Voice-Over-Internet (VoIP) service. Essentially, VoIP is broadband phone service with advanced call management features. It delivers unlimited residential local and nationwide calling combined with the ability to keep one phone numberfor life—all at significant cost savings over traditional phone service and with the benefit of new easy-to-use features that improve your ability to manage yourlife. It’s as Easy as Hooking up Your Answering Machine No waiting on a technician, getting started is as easy as hooking up your answering machine. All you need is a broadband connection—cable or DSL—and an AT&T-supplied adapter that connects your computer and phone service. Self-installation is fast and easy—you can begin making calls in as little as 10 minutes. Control and Convenience— Rich Communications on Your Own Terms While estimated phone service price savings ranging between 30 Voice over the Internet is expected to revolutionize communication. to 40 percent may initially drive interest in Voice over the Internet, industry watchers expect customers will soon recognize the true value comes from the technology’s ability to transform the phone from a “simple handset” to a powerful communications tool. Its impact will be similar to how the telephone transformed the telegraph and the DVD replaced the videotape. Here’s a sampling of VoIP innovations that will be made available from AT&T: Say you’re a family and interested in bringing back the “uninterrupted family dinner’— easily turn on Do Not Disturb and for a defined period of time incoming calls will go right to voicemail. Exceptions can be made for specific callers. Say you’re a road warrior— always traveling from home to office. Locate Me, an advanced call forwarding feature, enables mail messages through your computer allows your handheld device to become a phoneservicetool. Say you’re a student working in a study group that needsto collaborate but can’t meet in person, or you wantto hold a virtual family reunion, Multiple Line Conferencing allows up to nine parties on a call at once. Say you’re a tele-worker and need to keep an easy-to-use contact list or you can’t recall the name of that pizza parlor you dialed last month. Call Log allows you to track calls you have placed, received or even missed, both from homeandtheoffice. These features all focus on allowing businesses and consumers more control and conve- nience in their communications— and all will be available when this new service is launched. In the future, you will be able to switch phones from hometo cell to car in mid-conversation without losing a beat, incorporate video into phone calling, and likely services you cannot even envision today. If you would like to learn more about Voice over the Internet (VoIP) or converting to VoIP ser- vice, visit www.att.com/voip.
