Love, VoIP-Style

Why AT&T CallVantage, the Internet phone service with the venerable telecom's name, stole my skeptical heart

by Olga Kharif

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Features are rich and easy to use. Call clarity can be better than a landline

The Bad: Setup is tricky, but you go through it only once

The Bottom Line: Great service, with helpful tech support, for a great price

Reader Reviews

Although I had my doubts about AT&T CallVantage Web-calling service to begin with, I soon fell in love with it. Here's the history of that affair.

When we first met, I wasn't sure CallVantage and I were a match. Setting up CallVantage, which allows for inexpensive voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) calling, looked like a big fat heartache. When I opened the box AT&T (T) mailed me -- containing a phone adapter, several cables, and a ton of brochures outlining the various kinds of setups -- my heart sank. It dropped even further after I shuffled through the brochures.

The setup looked complex. Plus, one of the guides said I needed to weasel some sort of user name and password from my digital subscriber line (DSL) provider to get started. That alone took about 20 minutes of waiting by the phone, only for my DSL provider to tell me that I didn't need the user name and password after all.

PROFESSIONAL INSTALLATION.

At that point, I was mentally preparing to be bounced back and forth between my VoIP and DSL providers for a couple of hours, but I decided to give AT&T the benefit of the doubt. After staring at the cables and the setup documentation for a bit, I called CallVantage tech support. A really nice and knowledgeable representative, named David, guided me through the setup via phone. Total installation time: 90 minutes.

That's not very long, considering that I have a relatively complex setup: I'm using a firewall router in addition to my DSL modem. I also have another phone line using my DSL connection. On top of that, my computer connects to the Web through a virtual private network, allowing for secure access into the BusinessWeek Online network. Whew!

Most home setups should take a lot less time. But if you rather spend that hour with the family, know that AT&T is one of a few VoIP providers that offer professional installation for around $140. Considering that the VoIP service costs only $30 a month, vs. the $53 a month an average American household pays for traditional local and long-distance service, according to researcher Yankee Group, you could probably pay for the installation from the savings.

SAFETY FIRST.

It's that level of service that made me decide to give this relationship a try. In creating CallVantage, AT&T -- acquired this year by SBC Communications, which has taken the AT&T name -- has preserved a lot of great features of the traditional phone service it's a pro at providing: good customer service, emphasis on ease of use, and a high-quality experience. The CallVantage call clarity was outstanding: I found it superior to my regular landline (see BW Online, 11/14/05, "SBC's CFO Takes on Its Rivals").

Unlike some other VoIP players, CallVantage really cares about you -- your safety, that is. Today, you might dial 911 on many VoIP providers' phones, and the call won't go through. Or it might be sent to the wrong emergency center. More often than not, if your call does get through, the dispatcher won't know your location. Not so with CallVantage, which is available only to customers living in areas where AT&T provides so-called E911. With E911, your 911 calls connect to the right emergency center, where the dispatcher typically knows your physical address.

As with all VoIP services, there are some caveats: If your neighborhood's power goes out, for example, your phone line will die as well. And if you take your CallVantage adapter on the road with you (you can plug it into any broadband connection to receive calls to your CallVantage home phone number), it's your responsibility to update your physical address to be used with the E911 service (see BW Online, 11/28/05, "VoIP Providers: Heeding the Call?").

RINGING RUNAROUND.

Another CallVantage attraction is the kind of operator assistance you've come to expect from a traditional phone service -- and more.