September 10th, 2007
Vonage's new pricing plans: more reality distortion field
Vonage- they of the decline from $17 a share to $2 a share in little more than 18 months- rolled out half a dozen new international pricing plans today.
The overarching principle: $24.99 plus incremental amounts for free calling to bundles of countries.
That’s all well and good but the issue here is because there will always be Internet phone providers who can undersell Vonage, a strategy based on discounting is kind of like circling the drain.
Unfortunately for Vonage, their decision-makers have their own reality distortion field- where triple and quadruple play service bundles don’t seem to be pursued aggressively, but further calling discounts are.
But just so you know, here are the plans Vonage is introducing:
Basic World Unlimited landline $6.00 per month/ $30.99* calling to 17 cities/countries. Select cell phone calls included.
Enhanced World Unlimited landline $15.00 per month/ $39.99* calling to 60 cities/countries. Select cell phone calls included.
Call Europe Unlimited landline $10.00 per month/$34.99* calling to 29 European cities/countries. Select cell phone calls included.
Call Asia Unlimited landline $10.00 per month/$34.99* calling to 17 cities/countries in Asia. Select cell phone calls included.
Call Mexico/Latin Unlimited landline $15.00 per month/ $39.99* America calling to 23 cities/countries. Select cell phone calls included.
Monthly price of Unlimited International Calling Package plus $24.99 for Residential Premium Unlimited Plan. Prices listed exclude fees and taxes.
I’d take one service bundle with Cricket Wireless for all of this chaff.
Russell Shaw is an enterprise computing journalist, analyst and author based in Portland, Oregon. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
