DSG Intros UK VOIP

LONDON -- DSG international plc, the parent company of PC World, Currys, Dixons and The Link in the UK, today announces the launch of a revolutionary low-cost telephone service for the broadband generation. The new service, available from today to home users of broadband, enables customers to make telephone calls via the Internet using VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology for a fraction of the cost paid for traditional fixed line services. The service is available throughout the UK, the first national rollout of low-cost broadband telephony.

Announcing the launch of Freetalk, Simon Turner, divisional managing director of DSG international plc, said: "We're delighted to be the first retailer in the UK to offer customers next generation telephone services at the lowest price on the market. This is the most significant development in the telephone market since the launch of the mobile phone and will transform the way we use phones. The days of old-style fixed-line phone calls are numbered."

Customers can buy Freetalk adapters from their nearest PC World, Currys and The Link stores and from 50 Dixons stores from Thursday. The service is an "all-in-the box solution" and is simple to install. Customers must have a broadband connection in their home and an available socket into which they can plug the Freetalk adapter. Once installed, customers can make unlimited calls to UK landlines, discounted calls to UK mobile phones and very low cost calls to international numbers, saving substantially over the tariffs offered by other telephone service providers in the UK. For £79.99, customers buy the adapter and have access to free unlimited calls to UK landlines for a year. After the first year, customers will be charged a low £6.99 per month, which will cover unlimited UK landline calls. Key features of the service include:

Commenting on recent developments in the telephone market, Simon Turner said: "Voice over IP (VoIP), the enabling technology, has been talked about for several years. DSG International is making it an immediate, affordable and convenient reality through our 1,000 UK stores and four e-commerce sites - and we're leading the market on price. It's yet another example of our ability to make the latest technology and services a reality for millions of UK customers."

DSG international plc