Confirming what most observers knew was coming, Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) officially said it is shuttering its white-label VoIP service, VoiceWing. Customers have been notified and Verizon made the decision official today.
The demise of VoiceWing "was a business decision based on a number of factors including the strategic fit of the service in our evolving digital voice portfolio," Verizon spokeswoman Bobbi Henson told the Associated Press.
Originally launched in 2005, VoiceWing was Verizon’s first, tentative step into the world of VoIP. The service was based on technology from Deltathree, the VoIP service provider which has seen its business dry up and has been de-listed from the Nasdaq.
Verizon last week introduced the “Hub,” a touchscreen device designed to connect to any broadband line, whether from Verizon, another telco, or a cable modem-enabled service from a cable provider. Priced at $200 with a $35-per-month service plan, the Hub is being pitched as Verizon’s attempt to make the conventional home phone sexy again. Like most big carriers, Verizon continues to lose landline customers at a steady clip.
Rival AT&T Inc. (T) last year stopped adding new customers to its CallVantage VoIP service.
