AOL has launched the consumer version of its AIM Voice Conferencing service (AVC) along with a special holiday offer of 500 free AVC minutes for each new AVC user.
Consumer AIM Voice Conferencing by Lightbridge is a presence-enabled group calling service that modernizes the ‘party line’ by making it easy to gather to 15 friends and family members for a live, multi-party phone call – right from the AIM Buddy List feature.
The new Consumer AIM Voice Conferencing service lets users see if friends and family members are online and available to chat, and then invite them to a group call with just a few easy clicks. AVC calls are conducted over regular telephone lines, and there are no dial-ins or PIN numbers to remember. The service uses Lightbridge’s GroupTalk dial-out conferencing technology, which places toll-free calls directly to participants on either landlines or mobile phones.
“Consumer AIM Voice Conferencing by Lightbridge makes it easy to connect with loved ones this holiday season, even if they are scattered throughout the country,” said Edmund Fish, senior vice president and general manager, Desktop Messaging, America Online, Inc. “To help bring families together, we are extremely pleased to offer AIM users 500 free AVC minutes. There’s no better way to reconnect with old friends or round up the gang to share holiday cheer.”
With Consumer AIM Voice Conferencing, AIM users can invite friends and family members to join a group call from wherever they may be. The service can send invitations through the AIM service to a personal computer, mobile phone or PDA, or via recorded voice to any phone – be it at home, in the office or on the road. AIM users can even include friends who don’t use the AIM service – even if they are in a busy shopping mall or en route to holiday festivities – as long as they know that friend’s landline or mobile phone number.
“Consumer AIM Voice Conferencing is a natural extension of the at-work conferencing service we launched together with AOL in June of this year,” said Kevin Thornton, vice president and general manager, Enhanced Services, Lightbridge, Inc. “Our on-demand, dial-out group calling model translates well into everyday life whenever families, old friends or social groups seek to come together. We are very pleased to offer this easy-to-use service to extended families, soccer teams, book clubs, alumni groups and more.”
Murdok | Breaking eBusiness News
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