SunRocket to Unveil Global Calling Plan Jul 10, 2006 12:58 AM (ET)
By BRUCE MEYERSON Associated Press http://apnews.myway.com//article/20060710/D8IOTTIG0.html NEW YORK (AP) - Internet phone company SunRocket Inc. to introduce a calling plan with unlimited calls to about 35 countries for $25 a month, lowering the bar even further in the price wars that have unnerved investors about the young industry's long-term viability. The plan includes unlimited calls to any landline anywhere in about 30 countries, regardless of whether it's over a traditional phone or another Internet service, plus 10 cities located in other countries. As with most competing services, calls to mobile phones in the listed countries will still cost extra, with the per-minute rate ranging from 3 cents in many cases to 30 cents at the high end. The new plan being launched Monday by SunRocket comes on the heels of the highly disappointing stock debut by industry leader Vonage Holdings Corp. (VG) Vonage's shares have tumbled 55 percent since the initial public offering in late May, weighed down by worries the company spends too much on marketing to win new customers, and concerns that fierce price competition will force Vonage to lower its rates as well. Investors also fret that Vonage's rapid growth and subscriber base, 1.6 million at last count, are threatened over the long haul by the lure of traditional phone and cable companies that are bundling calling plans with TV, Internet and cellular services on a single bill. SunRocket, one of the industry's feisty upstarts, has doubled its subscriber base to 130,000 customers over the past four months with a service offering unlimited calls within the United States and Canada for $199 a year. Broken down, that plan costs about $17 a month, or $8 less than the $25 Vonage charges for a similar unlimited service that also includes calls to five European countries, The international SunRocket plan, priced at $299 a year, includes calls to landlines throughout these countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. It also includes calls to Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Moscow and St. Petersburg in Russia; Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in Brazil; Caracas, Venezuela; Lima, Peru; and Helsinki, Finland. ================================ George Antunes, Political Science Dept University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204 Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927 antunes at uh dot edu Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
