The result of the MegaPath-Speakeasy-Covad merger and one of the nation’s largest end-to-end communications networks, announced its limited-time free Cisco SPA 303-3 IP phone promotion. New business customers who purchase unlimited or global Hosted Voice calling plans and have a minimum of five lines will receive IP phones featuring a high-resolution graphic display for each employee. This program is part of the second phase of MegaPath’s post-merger integration, offering common products, pricing and promotions across all three company websites.

Forecasts from ABI Research1 show that the VoIP market is set to double in size in the next five years, exceeding $20 billion by the year 2015. By offering free phones, MegaPath is removing the last barrier to VoIP adoption – upfront costs. Speakeasy successfully implemented a similar promotional program earlier this year, which resulted in an increase in new customer inquiries by more than 40 percent.

MegaPath has a long-standing relationship with Cisco, as the company has been providing Cisco-powered MPLS nationwide network-based solutions for more than 10 years. MegaPath is a Cisco Master Managed Service Provider with voice and VPN certifications and small business specialists.

In addition to offering free phones to new customers, MegaPath is enhancing the functionality of its Hosted Voice calling plans with new productivity-enhancing features for all voice customers. This includes features such as:

• Push to Talk: Point-to-point intercom functionality between two phones in the same group, which can be used with Instant Group Call to simulate paging functionality.
• N-Way Calling: Enables a user to add up to 15 total call participants.
• Hoteling: Allows a user to log in as a guest on a host phone and use it as they would their normal desk phone. All incoming calls are routed to the host phone, while all outbound calls appear to come from the user’s desk phone.
• Answer Confirmation: This enhancement to Simultaneous Ring and Sequential Ring allows a user to prevent callers from leaving voice messages on personal cell phones when using Find Me/Follow Me features.

These features are available at no cost. To take advantage of these new features, current customers can simply reboot their phones.

MegaPath is also adding Instant Group Call, available for an additional fee, which allows users to instantly set-up a conference bridge for up to 20 telephone numbers. This feature is useful as an emergency line or for recurring team meetings. Instant Group Call can also be used in conjunction with Push to Talk to simulate paging functionality.