Vonage latest local telephony competitor for SaskTel

VoIP operator Vonage Canada announced yesterday that it is launching residential local telephony services in Regina and Saskatoon, in Saskatchewan province. US-based Vonage, which has a subsidiary based in Mississauga, Ontario, had previously launched its IP-based local telephony service to most other provinces. Until now, anyone subscribing to Vonage in Saskatchewan had to settle for a phone with an out-of-province area code. The company’s basic monthly plan gives residential customers 500 minutes of outbound calls to anywhere in the US or Canada for about CAD20. The service also enables users to receive calls to their geographical local phone number anywhere in the world via a PC/laptop. Until the second half of 2006, Saskatchewan incumbent fixed line operator SaskTel held a monopoly on the local residential market; cablecos Shaw Communications and Access Communications have since introduced their own digital phone services.