ATS Intros First VoIP Cordless For Lingo Service

By Greg Scoblete -- TWICE, 12/21/2006

City of Industry, Calif. — American Telecom Services (ATS) will offer its first DECT cordless phone for use with Lingo’s VoIP service in the first quarter of 2007, the company said.

The ATS X10001P Digital Clear model will connect to a broadband modem for placing calls over Lingo’s network. The unit is expandable up to four handsets and will retail for a suggested $49.99. The phone’s base station includes a built-in terminal adapter, router and an additional telephone jack for connecting a fax machine.

The X10002 accessory handset, for a suggested $29.99, features caller ID/call waiting, speakerphone, key lock, nine ringtones, handset-to-handset intercom and a key lock.

The phone will ship in the first quarter of 2007.

It is the first cordless phone programmed to work with Lingo’s service and will also represent a major push into retail for the Mclean, Va.-based service provider. The company’s previous forays into brick and mortar had been small, confined to adapters and a PC-centric approach, said Ravi Bhatia, Lingo president.

“This is a new approach — we’re really marketing it as a telephony service,” Bhatia said.

The company positions itself as a global VoIP provider, he added. Its main domestic plan offers unlimited calling within the United States and to Canada, Puerto Rico and 21 countries (Western Europe, Australia and South Korea) for $21.95 a month. The price includes voice mail, caller ID, online call management and a variety of other calling features.

While other cordless phone vendors have stepped back from pairing with residential VoIP services, focusing instead on the PC-based options from Skype and Yahoo!, ATS has doubled down, adding Lingo to its Digital Clear offering alongside fellow Virginian provider SunRocket.

According to president Bruce Hahn, residential VoIP services offers retailers the incentive of residual fees for the life a subscriber while consumers save on their long distance bills.

The company offers a hardware margin and a residual revenue stream for the life of a subscription — 10 percent of service revenue for the first year and 5 percent every year thereafter. A similar deal is in place for the Lingo offering, Bhatia said.