Verizon launches single-point voice mailbox service

Verizon Communications is testing a new voice mailbox service in Tampa, Fla., called OnePoint that allows customers to retrieve voice mail messages from multiple devices with a single phone call.

The service forwards up to five home or business numbers--including numbers associated with Verizon Wireless service--to a single wireline mailbox. The service includes a notification feature that eliminates the need to check for messages. Subscribers will receive four hours of message time--enough for about 50 five-minute messages. Messages will be stored for up to 30 days.

Verizon expects to roll out the service to the rest of the country by the end of the year, said a Verizon spokesman, who added that the carrier is optimistic that OnePoint will achieve a healthy take rate that justifies the national rollout.

“We talk to our customers a lot, whether it’s through our customer centers or through our outside survey takers, and this is one of the services they ask us about on a regular basis,” he said.

The cost for the OnePoint service for residential customers is $8.95 per month, or $7 per month if purchased as part of a package. Fees for business customers will start at $16 per month. Verizon is charging a $15 one-time activation fee for residential customers, and $20 for business customers. However, the fee will be waived for customers that order service before October 31, 2002.

While no special equipment is needed to access the OnePoint service, customers will be required to set up a call-forwarding feature for each line forwarded to the OnePoint mailbox. The cost for a single line forwarded to One Point will be about $1.50 per month, said Verizon’s spokesman, with the cost coming down if the call-forwarding is part of a bundled package.

– Glenn Bischoff, Senior Writer