Attack Aftermath Pushes Up New Verizon Service

Verizon Communications introduced a service Friday for New York residents and businesses displaced by the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. The service gives people working at home, in temporary offices, or in hotels, for instance, a toll-free number to call to receive calls and faxes that can be forwarded to existing wireline and wireless numbers. The service also provides a new E-mail account and a universal mailbox for text and voice messages, which can be accessed by phone or the Web.

A similar service is expected to be available in the Washington area in mid-October.

The service lets customers store electronic files in a secure data center and retrieve them through a Web browser. Faxes can also be accessed via Web browser. Many existing E-mail accounts can also be accessed through the service, which uses text-to-speech technology for customers retrieving E-mail via phone.

Verizon planned to do a trial of the service, called Unified Communication Services, later this year, but made it available earlier for those affected by the attacks. Verizon is offering the first month free of charge to those who order the service before Oct. 31. After the first month, it will charge a monthly fee starting at $12.95. Verizon is using technology from uReach Technologies Inc. for the service.