Comcast is now offering business customers a fully managed voice-over-IP service, which eliminates the need for on-site phone systems, across most of its Northeastern footprint and in Chicago.
Comcast Business VoiceEdge provides support for HD-quality audio and a suite of unified communications features, including voicemail-to-email forwarding and a "follow me" function that forwards calls to any phone number. The service includes unlimited nationwide calling and Polycom phones for no additional charge.
Other features include a telephony Web browser toolbar, which enables click-to-dial and service management; on-net calling among sites using extensions; and share call handling (receptionist, hunt groups and auto-attendants) across multiple office locations.
Cablevision Systems is among other cable operators that have rolled out hosted voice services, while AT&T, Verizon and other telcos also offer hosted PBX services.
"What sets Comcast apart from other players in this space is that we're the only provider to combine a cloud-based voice service with vast network reach, a well-known brand and a strong focus on providing great products with high quality and consistency," Comcast Business Services president Bill Stemper said in a statement. "Businesses, especially those with a distributed workforce, need a reliable and consistent voice solution that allows their ‘on-the-go' employees to stay connected anytime and anywhere."
Business VoiceEdge is now available across most of Comcast's Northeastern Division, which includes 14 states from Maine through Virginia and Washington, D.C., as well as Chicago. The MSO is targeting nationwide rollout by the end of 2012.
Comcast also offers Business Class Voice, a voice line service designed for small businesses, and Business Class Trunks, an phone service for larger organizations that works with existing PBX equipment.
