:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63705762/20160329-grandma-landline-phone.0.1491457357.0.jpg)
Many of us on the coasts (and many of us snake people) have largely ditched landlines. But plenty of people in middle America have not.
And middle America is where Google Fiber — the broadband, cable and now phone business — is and would like to grow. On Tuesday, the Alphabet unit introduced its first landline service, called Fiber Phone, a $10-a-month unlimited calling option that Fiber’s gigabit Internet subscribers can tack onto their bill. It’s akin to Google Voice, the more or less dormant voicemail service within the search giant; Fiber Phone transcribes voicemails and can be set to ring your mobile phone when you’re out.
The move is further evidence that Fiber is gunning to steal market share from big telecom players like AT&T, which tend to package landline services with cable and broadband. While Fiber hasn’t shared its subscriber numbers, its broadband business is likely outpacing its pay TV rate. And the unit has plans to break ground in at least nine new markets this year.
The Washington Post first reported that Fiber was planning to bundle phone services in January.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
