MegaPath extends reach of managed voice, data, security

Managed service provider MegaPath today announced it is expanding the reach of its “Duet” service, a managed IP data, voice and security offering targeting small to mid-sized businesses, initially targeting the Northeast U.S. but planning expansion nationwide.

Until now, Duet was only available to customers in the New York and metro Washington, D.C., areas but it will now be available in major metropolitan areas in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York state, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and Vermont.

The service bundles business-class T-1 or SDSL service with unlimited local/long-distance VoIP at $99 a month for two voice lines or as low as $37 per line for up to 16 lines. What makes the service particularly appealing to SMBs is that they don’t have to buy expensive VoIP phones or other premises gear, said Gregory Davis, vice president of product marketing for MegaPath. Customers can keep their current phone numbers to enable a smooth transition as well.

“Our latest research shows that many small-to-medium size businesses are considering migrating to VoIP over the next few years,” said Matthias Machowinski, directing analyst, Enterprise Voice and Data at Infonetics, in a prepared statement. “In order for them to consider voice-over-IP services, service offerings need to have low (or no) up-front costs. Yet many VoIP offerings do require significant investments, which offset potential savings. By eliminating this requirement, MegaPath’s managed voice, data and security services remove a major barrier for customers planning to migrate to VoIP.”