Digital Phone
FAQ
- What’s a cable company doing in the phone business?
- How does it work?
- Why switch from my traditional phone service?
- What makes it different from other digital or "VOIP" phone services?
- What about the quality?
- Do I need a new telephone?
- Can I call people who have traditional phone service?
- Can I stay online while I make calls?
- What’s a cable company doing in the phone business?
- Cable companies are changing the face of telephone service in the U.S., thanks to new federal laws designed to spur competition. Anticipating that the U.S. phone market would be opened up to competition, cable companies have invested more than $113 billion since 1996 to upgrade their systems and networks to accommodate phone service, along with high-speed Internet service and new digital television features. Already, more than 75 million U.S. homes have access to Cable Digital Phone service, thanks to investments the cable industry has made.
- How does it work?
- Cable Digital Phone operates over the same high-capacity, high-speed broadband network your cable company uses to deliver television channels and high-speed Internet service. Digital phone service from cable is provided through a phone jack located on the side of specially equipped cable modems. From there, it connects to any standard household telephone jack. You can select Digital Phone for every one of your phone jacks, and use phones throughout your house.
- Why switch from my traditional phone service?
- Competition and choice. As cable companies introduce digital phone service across a growing number of cities, there’s finally a fresh choice in telephone service. Cable Digital Phone service offers extremely competitive and affordable rates not only for basic calling, but long-distance service and value-added features like caller ID, voice mail, international calling and more.
- What makes it different from other digital or "VOIP" phone services?
- While cable companies use some aspects of Internet technology to make their digital phone services work, there’s an important difference between Cable Digital Phone service and many of the other Internet-based phone services being advertised these days. Many telephone companies, Internet service providers and broadband companies are offering Internet phone services (technically known as “voice over Internet protocol” or VoIP, and charmingly pronounced as “voyp”). Their services carry calls over the public Internet. In contrast, cable companies carry telephone calls over their own, private cable wires, so voice quality and security generally are higher than that of other VoIP services. That means there’s less chance that you’ll get static or echo effects that make it seem like you’re talking through a tin can. There are also important distinctions surrounding emergency calls. Cable companies provide enhanced 911 (known as e911) connections that automatically provide emergency responders the name, phone number and home address of the account holder.
- What about the quality?
- Digital phone from cable meets high standards for signal quality, clarity and reliability... Unlike cut-rate Internet telephone services that use the public Internet, digital phone from cable runs over a robust, high-quality, privately maintained network. And unlike with some other new telephone services, your PC is not needed to process or receive calls.
- Do I need a new telephone?
- No. Your digital phone service from cable works with any standard touch-tone phone, from cordless handsets to wall-mounted telephones. Digital phone service also works with fax machines and answering machines.
- Can I call people who have traditional phone service?
- Yes. Your Cable Digital Phone service lets you call any number you like, whether that number is served by a cable company or a traditional telephone company.
- Can I stay online while I make calls?
- Yes. Although the technology behind Cable Digital Phone service involves a special cable modem, it doesn’t operate on the same frequencies as your Internet service. You can talk on the phone while you’re online at any time.