
|
 |
 |
 IDT's Net2Phone Launches Phone-To-Phone Technology Via The Internet
Leading Internet telephony provider deploys low-cost calling
technology using traditional telephones; encourages users to test
the quality with a free call
Hackensack, NJ and Geneva, Switzerland -; September 8, 1997 --
Net2Phone, a division of IDT Corporation (NASDAQ: IDTC), today released
technology enabling users to place calls via the Internet using
traditional telephones while still maintaining high sound quality.
The service, Net2Phone Direct, reduces the cost of international
calls by up to 95%. Beginning today, Net2Phone Direct is available
in the United States, and a country-by-country roll out is expected
to begin next month. The first Net2Phone Direct call was placed
this morning to IDT's President Jim Courter at the Telecom Interactive
97 conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
To demonstrate Net2Phone Direct's superior quality, the Company
announced today that they are encouraging everyone in the U.S. to
place a free Net2Phone Direct call to test out the quality. To place
a free call over Net2Phone Direct, please call 800-CALL-IDT.
"We have reached the pinnacle in the Internet telephony industry
with the release of Net2Phone Direct," said IDT's President
Jim Courter. "We've become one of the leading global marketers
in both the telecom and Internet industries, and now with Net2Phone
Direct, we can effectively utilize all of our strengths to create
the most cost-effective method of voice communications."
Unlike other Internet telephony products, Net2Phone Direct provides
unrestricted calling to any telephone in the world and has True
Phone Quality (TPQ). The service's network switching infrastructure
is based on IDT's proprietary Net2Phone model, which has already
enabled users to place calls from their PC's to any telephone in
the world for over a year.
Net2Phone Direct users call a local or toll-free number, which
connects the call to an outbound switch server. This server converts
the call from the telephone's circuit switch network to the Internet's
packet switch network. The system then prompts the user to enter
their account number and the telephone number they wish to reach.
The call is carried over the Internet to an inbound switch server
located in Hackensack, NJ. That server, in turn, switches the call
onto the local telephone network, and completes the call -- all
within fractions of a second. Because the call only travels a short
distance on the circuit switch network, the total cost of the call
is minimal.
"Thanks to the development team at IDT Laboratories, effective
today, anyone in the United States can use Net2Phone Direct from
any telephone, even a pay phone, and call to anywhere in the world
using our `virtual debit card's; for the lowest available prices,"
said Yonah Lloyd, Director of Net2Phone. "Net2Phone has the
immediate ability to offer this service worldwide, has already partnered
with Daewoo Corporation in Korea and Marubeni Corporation in Japan
to offer Internet telephony, and as the telecommunications industry
shifts towards packet-switched network applications, Net2Phone will
continue to lead the industry in providing this service to individual
and corporate users."
The current pricing structure is as follows: Calls from local numbers
to anywhere in the U.S. cost 8 cents per minute, and for an additional
5 cents per minute, callers can access Net2Phone Direct via an 800-number,
likening Net2Phone Direct to a pre-paid calling card. International
rates are equally competitive, with per-minute rates to the U.K.
at 18 cents, Australia at 20 cents, Germany at 26 cents, and Japan
at 29 cents. These rates are effective 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week. To sign on for Net2Phone Direct, please call 800-CALL-IDT.
A local access number is currently available in Chicago, which
is 312-980-8910, and more will be rolled out in New York, Los Angeles,
and other major U.S. cities in the coming weeks. Net2Phone Direct
will begin its international launch next month in Europe and Asia.
IDT Corporation IDT Corporation is a diversified telecommunications
company with seven years of innovation and profits within the international
telecommunications arena. The Company routes and/or resells international
long distance services to businesses in 131 countries and directly
to telecommunications companies at the carrier level in the US and
overseas. The Company currently has over 150,000 US retail customers
using an array of services including international long distance
and Internet services, and prepaid calling cards. The Company is
also a leader in Internet Telephony, with its Net2Phone product
- the first commercial telephone service to bridge live calls between
the Internet and telephones.
Except for historical information, all of the expectations and
assumptions contained in the foregoing are forward-looking statements
involving risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could
cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking
statements, include, but are not limited to, the competitive environment
for Internet telephony, changes of rates of all related telco rates
and services, legislation that may affect the Internet Telephony
industry, IDT's ability to operate the services described on a large
scale commercial level. For additional information regarding these
and other risks associated with the Company's business refer to
the Company's reports filed with the SEC.
|
 |
 |