 Net2Phone Direct to Offer E-Mail By Phone and Free E-Mail Accounts
to all Users
Nationwide Internet Telephony Service signs Agreement with MailCall
to offer e-mail services via Telephone
HACKENSACK, NJ and FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - February 4, 1999
- IDT's (NASDAQ: IDTC) Net2Phone today announced that users of its
Internet-based phone service, Net2Phone Direct, will be able to
now retrieve their e-mail messages by using cutting edge text-to-speech
technology.
Through an agreement recently signed with MailCall, subscribers
will be able to hear their e-mail messages via a call to their Net2Phone
Direct account, without the need to use a computer or laptop.
Additionally, Net2Phone will be giving free e-mail accounts to
all of its Net2Phone Direct customers who select the MailCall option.
How it Works
Net2Phone Direct works similarly to a pre-paid calling card, where
users dial an access number, enter their account number, and the
number they wish to dial. If users want to retrieve their e-mail,
they can enter a code in order to retrieve e-mail. Users who would
like to retrieve e-mail from an account other than the free Net2Phone
Direct account will be able to change their preferences on a designated
secure web site. Users will receive a free Net2Phone e-mail account
upon first-time use of the MailCall option.
Upon activating the service, users hear the headers for each of
their e-mail messages, after which they have several options for
managing their e-mail. Subscribers can choose to listen to the text
of the message (in English or Spanish), have a hard copy of the
message sent to any fax machine in the U.S., Canada, or Mexico,
or reply to the message using one of several state-of-the-art features.
Additionally, users have the ability to reply with "canned" responses,
a customized pre-set response of up to 512 characters set by the
user, or a callback phone number which the user touch-tones in and
is then sent as part of the reply. Users can also respond to messages
via their voice, which are sent to recipients as an audio file attachment.
The company expects the service to be available to Net2Phone Direct
users beginning February 15, 1999. The cost of the service is $0.25
per minute with no monthly fee. Net2Phone Direct enables users to
place telephone calls and send faxes over the Internet for as little
as five cents per minute. Those interested in signing up for Net2Phone
Direct can call 800-225-5438.
Net2Phone Direct will also offer several preference options, which
can be set by the user on a security-encoded web site: Six different
voices with three pitches each, a default fax phone number, a customized
response, and several pattern matching strings which can be used
to filter and prioritize e-mail.
"Net2Phone has always been committed to offering unique and innovative
services to our users, and computerless e-mail retrieval is one
of many products we plan to bring to the market," said David Greenblatt,
Chief Operating Officer of Net2Phone. "By introducing value-added
services to our Internet telephony suite of services, we continue
lead our sector with innovative services for consumers."
IDT is a leading emerging multinational carrier that combines its
position as an international telecommunications operator, its experience
as an Internet service provider and its leading position in Internet
telephony to provide a broad range of telecommunications services
to its wholesale and retail customers worldwide. The company provides
its customers with integrated and competitively priced international
and domestic long distance, pre-paid calling cards, Internet access
and, through its Net2Phone product offerings, Internet telephony
services including Net2Phone Direct, Net2Fax, Click2Talk, and easysurf.com.
For more information about IDT's Internet telephony services, please
visit www.net2phone.com.
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