Optimum Voice, the New York metropolitan area's best value in voice and the most highly-penetrated VoIP service in the nation, announced the launch of Optimum Voice World Call, a new international calling option that significantly extends the value of the Optimum Voice service by allowing customers to call anywhere in the world for just $19.95 per month, with no hidden fees and no per-minute or connection charges.

"Optimum Voice sets the tone for phone service for more than 900,000 customers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut," said Patricia Gottesman, Cablevision's executive vice president of product management and marketing. "With the launch of Optimum Voice World Call, we're extending our unbeatable value to international calling, eliminating phone company country-based pricing for customers who want to call anywhere in the world. Instead of paying a monthly international plan fee plus costly per-minute rates ranging from ten cents to more than a dollar, Optimum Voice customers can now add to all of our current benefits the freedom to call anywhere in the world for one low monthly fee."

More than 20 percent of the homes passed by Cablevision's fiber-rich network have already switched to Optimum Voice, the most highly-penetrated VoIP service in the nation. Available exclusively to Optimum Online® high- speed Internet customers, Optimum Voice provides unlimited local and long distance calling to the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico as well as a number of advanced calling features for a flat monthly fee of $34.95. The Optimum Voice World Call service can be added to any residential Optimum Voice subscription for $19.95 per month.

Optimum Voice features include enhanced voicemail, call waiting, caller ID, caller ID blocking (*67), call return (*69), three-way calling and call forwarding, in addition to directory assistance (411), VIP ringing, find me, caller ID on call waiting, busy redial, anonymous calling and anonymous call blocking - all at no additional cost. The service's "My Optimum Voice" innovative web portal allows customers to easily activate account features, listen to voicemail messages through any web browser, review and sort calling history and manage other settings.

Through Optimum Voice World Call, customers can purchase up to 500 minutes of international calling from their home phone to anywhere in the world for just $19.95 per month. Customers can purchase additional blocks of 500 minutes for $19.95 each. Customers can view their international calling history and minutes used through their My Optimum Voice online web portal and easily add additional minutes as necessary.

Customers can activate Optimum Voice World Call by logging on to www.optimumvoice.com, visiting the "My Optimum Voice" web portal or calling customer service. International calling charges are integrated into the customer's monthly billing statement.

Optimum Voice offers local number portability to new customers who wish to keep their existing phone number. Through the Optimum Store Online (www.optimumstore.com), Optimum Voice offers customers a battery back-up option that would allow hours of stand-by or talk time in the event of a power outage. Cablevision's network remains powered for several hours during a loss of electrical current, so with the battery back-up option Optimum Voice customers would continue to have service during an electrical interruption as long as they are using non-electric telephones. Optimum Voice service is carried over Cablevision's world-class broadband network, not the public Internet, and offers customers a highly reliable voice service with superior value.