December 19, 2005

By Staff



Five lucky readers can with the gift bag from Go-Go nightclub’s launch party. Products include Clairol Natural Instincts Shine Happy treatment, the book Look and Feel Fabulous Forever, by Oz Garcia, Restore Spa treatments, a Lounge Light USA candle, a Vonage Wi-Fi phone and Crest Whitestrips.

December 19, 2005

By Staff

Vonage Holdings received $250 million in convertible debt funding Monday, led by Bain Capital, bringing the VoIP provider’s total funding to $658 million.

Also participating in the funding were existing investors New Enterprise Associates, Meritech Capital Partners, and senior management, with a total of 16 new investors.

Vonage plans to use the money to further build its network around the United States, as well as deploy enhanced 911 services to provide emergency-calling capability to customers.

December 19, 2005

By Martin C. Daks

Vonage Holdings has raised $250 million through a convertible debt offering. The financing was led by affiliates of Bain Capital and existing investors, including New Enterprise Associates and Meritech Capital Partners, along with Vonage senior management.

It brings the groups’ total debt and equity stake in Vonage to $658 million. Vonage will use the money to complete its internet telephony network across the U.S. and deploy enhanced 911 emergency-call services.

December 19, 2005

By Staff

Vonage announced last Tuesday that it will soon offer a mobile phone that allows subscribers to use the company's VoIP network whenever they're in a Wi-Fi network.

The potential of this development is easy to see. Rather than use a cell phone, Vonage subscribers could enjoy unlimited calling on a portable device as long as they are connected wirelessly to the Internet. Vonage offers unlimited calling for about $25 per month, significantly less than mobile phones companies charge for their unlimited calling plans. With the proliferation of free wireless networks in the US, this could be a major challenge to "traditional" mobile phone providers.

December 18, 2005

By Staff

Vonage Holdings Corp., which sells Internet-based phone services, will announce that it has raised an additional $250 million in private funding from previous and new investors, bringing the total raised by the closely held start-up to $658 million, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

The convertible-debt issue, set to be unveiled Monday, is likely to be Vonage's final round of private financing before it files for an initial public offering, according to people familiar with its plans, the financial newspaper reported.

The Holmdel, New Jersey-based company has more than 1 million customers and is the nation's largest provider of phone service that uses a regular telephone to send calls via Internet.

December 18, 2005

By Frank Ahrens

Marketers have long relied on children as their most effective pitchmen. Kids get Mommy and Daddy to buy most anything. Now, kids are being enlisted to get their folks to sign up for Sony's video and voice Internet service.

It's a fiendishly ingenious plot, and it involves Santa. Actually, multiple Santas. On video. With no pants, maybe.

Sony, which is trying to make inroads in the voice-over-Internet market, will offer free video calls to Santa starting tomorrow if you download the company's free software. Santa will be able to see children who have Web cams on their computers as they see and talk live to him at the North Pole on Wednesday and Thursday.

December 18, 2005

By Staff

Vonage, one of the bigger broadband phone (VoIP) providers, has launched wireless voice over IP phones.

The Vonage F1000, their first wireless phone can access any 802.11b wireless network, and make use of all the standard Vonage features. The release of wireless phones could be what’s needed to push VoIP in to the next market, as hotspots and wireless access points grow to the point that they cover the majority of the world.

December 17, 2005

By Shawn Young

Vonage Holdings Corp. plans to announce that it has raised an additional $250 million in private funding from previous and new investors, bringing the total raised by the closely held start-up to $658 million.

The convertible-debt issue, set to be unveiled Monday, is likely to be Vonage's final round of private financing before the Internet-based phone company files for an initial public offering, according to people familiar with its plans.

The Holmdel, N.J., company has more than one million customers and is the U.S.'s largest provider of phone service that uses a regular telephone to send calls via Internet. In recent months, Vonage has been exploring an IPO and a sale, according to people familiar with its plans. It is most actively pursuing the IPO option, but remains open to the possibility of selling, these people said.