Verizon Wireless - Home Phone Connect

Home Phone Connect

In February 2011, Verizon Wireless rolled out "Home Phone Connect". This wireless local loop service competes directly with landline services from local carriers and offers unlimited US calling for $19.99/month plus taxes and surcharges. Although the Verizon Wireless Network is used to carry signal to and from the residence where the service is installed, subscribers use their home phones rather than a mobile handset to make and receive calls. The device which interfaces between the Verizon network and home phones is identical in function to the devices called ATAs which VoIP providers like Vonage use as an interface between the Internet and phones. Verizon Wireless promotes the fact that no Internet connection is required and supplies the interface device for $29.99 with a two year contract or charges a one time fee of $129.99 on a month-to-month plan.

The device supplied by Verizon Wireless includes battery backup so that, like a PSTN line, it will continue to function during a power outage. It also has a GPS so that accurate location information can be provided on a 911 call.

The service is not compatible with satellite TV DVRs, medical monitoring devices, fax machines, and most wired home monitoring systems. Wireless security systems, however, circumvent the need for a landline connection and are therefore unaffected by the switch to Verizon's device.

A variant of the service is available for a $9.99/month plus taxes and surcharges. This is essentially an extra line on an existing Verizon Wireless mobile phone plan and does not include unlimited calling.