BT and Yahoo! launch voice-over-the-internet service

LONDON - BT and Yahoo! have teamed up to launch a mass-market voice-over-the-internet service, which allows consumers to manage all their home communications at a single point on their PCs.

BT and Yahoo! launch voice-over-the-internet service

The BT Communicator with Yahoo! Messenger integrated software will handle phone calls, webcam, email, text and instant messaging communications and can be downloaded from .

"It gives people an easier way to communicate through different channels and an enhanced choice," James Bilefield, managing director of communications and network services at Yahoo! Europe, said. "They can do so much more just at the touch of a button."

He added: "We believe this is an industry first as we have a major telecommunications company working with a major internet company to bring a mass market voice service to consumers."

The service is currently in a beta-format and BT said it will continue to refine the product. Multiway video calls are expected to be added in early 2005.

"This is partly a result of the relationship that we've been building with Yahoo! on our broadband products and this actual product has been under development for at least a year," Andrew Burke, value added services director of BT Retail, said.

More than 19m consumers in the UK will have access to the service because they have a BT line.

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