UK phone-based VoIP scheduled for December

US start-up Vonage is planning to launch its VoIP telephone service for consumers in the UK in December.

Using a normal telephone, Vonage requires an existing broadband internet connection and allows users to make calls as they would do usually. Vonage users will also be assigned a regular telephone number.

The special phone adapter needed to make the system work will be provided free of charge, said Louis Holder, business development manager at Vonage.

Existing VoIP services such as Skype and BT Communicator, require the use of a computer to make and receive calls.

Vonage has not yet decided on pricing plans. American customers currently pay $24.99 per month for unlimited calls within the US and Canada.

International calls are generally cheaper than with existing long-distance providers, but are more expensive than with Skype.

The company will initially only allow customers to sign up through its website, but Holder confirmed that "the goal is to move into retail soon after".

The Vonage service was launched in the US in 2002 and earlier this year moved into Canada.

Holder described expanding to the UK as "the next logical move" given the high penetration of broadband internet services.