BT Internet holds out VoIP carrot to paid dial-up users

Service provider tries to woo customers away from free access

BT Internet is attempting to seduce customers to its last remaining 'pay for dial-up access' service by offering voice calls over the internet.

Since 16 April, BT Internet users have been able to make and receive calls with other customers of the service - but not those of other service providers - while simultaneously surfing the internet.

With consumers getting free access thrown at them from every direction, the future of paid-for services looks shaky. BT Internet hopes adding an innovative feature, such as voice over the internet, will guarantee enough interest to warrant the #11.79 per month charge.

"BT Internet is a paid-for service, and to ensure we continue to get more customers, we must add more value," said David Pincott, a spokesperson for BT Internet.

He said BT was developing packaged services to deliver voice over IP (VoIP) to businesses.

Telecoms consultants, Analysys, has released a report that concluded carriers will not be able to provide full internet telephony for another two years. Analysys said key elements were missing for the delivery of such services.

The report, Next Generation Networks: Integrated IP Architectures, cited voice gateways, end-to-end call control, and network management facilities as some of the key missing elements.

BT AIMS FOR EASY ACCESS

BT Internet is providing software to make calls over the internet simple and readily available. Using Microsoft's NetMeeting internet conferencing software, the user can see who is online when they log on. By then clicking on the call icon, two users can talk to each other, as well as view the same website to collaborate on information.