With CompUSA dead, Costco appears to be filling a low-cost SMB tech void, first selling Microsoft ResponsePoint and now offering Sotto Wireless hosted VoIP services.
Sotto Wireless, based in Seattle, will offer its Sotto@SOHO services through Costco Wholesale Business Center stores in Washington state, California, and Phoenix. Sotto is offering hosted VoIP services bundled with cellular. The Sotto@SOHO service is for businesses of up to 10 people working anywhere, with Sotto phones placing and receiving calls over VoIP when in range of a Sotto WiFi gateway. Away from the office, the Nokia smart phones switch to a GSM network.
Costco is going to sell starter kits with two Nokia E51 smart phones and a Sotto gateway for $399, with a $699 kit including two Nokia 61i phones, a gateway, and a Polycom IP320 desk phone with Office Attendant; service plans start at $49.95 per month for unlimited nationwide VoIP, plus additional charges for bundles of cellular voice minutes. An introductory offer includes 90 days of free wireless VoIP service, 1,000 cellular minutes, 20 MB of data, 100 text messages, and a 60-day, money-back guarantee.
For more:
- Marketwire reports on Sotto
Costco SMB Host Deal [1]
Related articles
Buy your IP PBX
at Costco [2]
NXTComm08: Bare Knuckles Over UC
SMB [3]
Links:
[1] http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/costco-wholesale-business-centers-sell/story.aspx?guid=%7B0A3A726F-4053-4CD8-9356-14875B315A44%7D&dist=hppr
[2] http://www.fierceenterprisecommunications.com/story/buy-your-ip-pbx-costco/2008-05-28
[3] http://www.fierceenterprisecommunications.com/story/nxtcomm08-bare-knuckles-over-uc-smb/2008-06-22