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SAN JOSE--America Online expects to launch a VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) service within a month in a bid to bring packet-based calling technology to the mass market, the top executive of the Internet service giant said today.

The service, called AOL Internet Phone Service, will leverage the "buddy list" used in the AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) service to show a subscriber whether friends or associates are currently available, said Jonathan Miller, chairman and CEO of AOL. Miller gave a keynote address at the Spring VON (Voice on the Net) trade show here.

Initially the service will be rolled out to AOL members in limited locations, and over time it will be made available to the mass market, Miller said.

Pricing will be tiered, according to spokeswoman Anne Bentley, and the company will disclose the specifics later on.

Big Gorilla

AOL's involvement would mark the entry one of the biggest companies associated with consumer Internet service into a market that major providers of digital subscriber line (DSL) and cable modem services in North America have joined in the past several months. AOL already has a commercial VoIP service in Canada and has an ongoing trial in the United States. Miller said AOL research shows that consumer awareness and use of VoIP are still low, but he believes that AOL can draw upon its experience in popularizing the Internet for ordinary consumers.

"We intend to come out on the other side with a truly mass-market product," Miller said. As with the company's Internet service, ease of use will be key. No AOL product should come with instructions, and if it has to have instructions, "There can't be any more than three things you have to do," he said.

Use Own Phones

Customers will be able to use their existing phones by means of an adapter that links the phones to the customers' broadband routers.

With the addition of the VoIP service, the AIM service over time will become a "dashboard" that subscribers can use to move easily between e-mail, instant messaging, and voice calls, Miller said.

Miller provided few technical details about the upcoming service. Level 3 Communications will provide infrastructure and regulatory compliance, with features such as E911 (Enhanced 911) emergency calling and local number portability, and Sonus Networks will provide a phone-switching platform that will allow AOL to add new features over time, Miller said. He added that AOL will cooperate in product development with Time-Warner Cable, a sister company of AOL under Time-Warner, though he did not provide any details. AOL also plans for the service to include a mobile component, Miller said.

Internet calling can be a bit confusing. PC World columnist Aoife McEvoy cautions users on the hidden costs of other services' plans in her recent Net Phone Zone column.