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Shaw launches VOIP service
By Mark Evans | February 14, 2005
Shaw has finally jumped into the Internet telephony market today with a C$55 a month service that features unlimited calling in North America, six calling features, access to e911 and “professional” installation. At first blush, the service seems expensive - particularly compared with Videotron, which is selling telephony for as low as $15.95 if it's part of a bundle. Shaw's strategy appears similar to Comcast Corp., which rolled out a premium-priced telephony recently that makes Vonage and CallVantage look like Wal-Mart bargains.
Shaw's pricing strategy could be a matter of demand management so it's not swamped by a wave of customers, or it simply believes - a la Comcast - that reliable cable telephony service should be priced as a premium product.
With Shaw's launch, there are now two cable telephony pricing experiments happening - Shaw's premium approach vs. Videotron's discount plans. You can be sure the folks at Rogers, which will unveil its telephony service in July, are watching the situation carefully.
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