Time Warner’s oft-discussed AOL will enter the VoIP sector on October 4 with its TotalTalk solution.
Now that AOL has announced its TotalTalk launch date, they could take the lead away from Skype and get a significant head start on similar initiatives pending from Yahoo and Microsoft. This will be the second iteration of VoIP offered by AOL.
The TotalTalk service will be an upgrade for existing AOL Internet Phone users. Membership with AOL will not be required to sign up for TotalTalk. AOL has around 22 million members, and about an equal number of AIM users. Skype has noted in other sources that about 27 million of its registered users regularly use Skype’s service.
AOL will utilize several partnerships to deliver an enhanced audio and video experience to its users, the company noted in a statement. TotalTalk’s service, as well as AOL’s messaging service, AIM, will see technology from Pingtel, Global IP Sound, and On2 integrated.
The partnership solutions will let TotalTalk and AIM comply with SIP standards. Use of TotalTalk will require a broadband connection and a telephone adapter/router; calls can be made while the computer is turned off, but the connection must still be operational.
AOL will include services like Call Waiting, Caller ID, and Star code support. 911 emergency calling will be supported, and they note it will differ from traditional 911 services.
Graphically, the product will provide a Web “dashboard” that can integrate with address book contact lists, show call history logs, and display on-screen call alerts. Users can set the handling status for incoming and outgoing calls, like letting calls go to voicemail after a certain number of rings.
TotalTalk will be available to US users. Pricing will come in three tiers, offering unlimited local calls, unlimited local and long distance calls to US and Canadian numbers, and unlimited local and long distance with international calling enabled at per-minute rates.
David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
