AT&T, Yahoo Jointly Offer VoIP

AT&T Inc. and Yahoo Inc. Wednesday officially rolled out integrated Internet-based voice services.

The offering brings Yahoo Messenger with Voice to AT&T Yahoo high-speed Internet subscribers and Yahoo users in AT&T's 13-state local service area. Free voicemail and missed-call message retrieval are included. The Phone Out feature gives consumers in the U.S. voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) calls. Users may use their PCs to place calls to traditional or mobile phones in more than 180 countries. Consumers may call within the U.S. and to more than 30 other countries for two cents per minute or less.

Subscribers select a phone number to make and receive calls on their PCs from traditional and mobile phones for $2.99 per month or $29.90 per year through Phone In and Phone Out services.

As part of the agreement, AT&T becomes Yahoo's global preferred network termination provider for PC-based calling services in Yahoo Messenger with Voice service. The service gives consumers PC-based calling capabilities for making and receiving phone calls with VoIP.

AT&T Inc. and Yahoo announced their alliance in November 2001 and launched co-branded high-speed Internet and dial services less than one year later. The companies announced in late 2004 a multi-year extension of their alliance to take AT&T Yahoo beyond the PC and into home television and audio systems, Cingular Wireless handsets, AT&T Wi-Fi, and AT&T Home Networking equipment.The two companies also plan to extend the partnership into Internet protocol television (IPTV) with AT&T's Project Lightspeed and U-verse package of services.