Last summer we noted that AT&T was no longer taking new orders for their Callvantage VoIP service. The company of course wanted to begin pushing their U-Verse Voice VoIP product a little harder, but employees also hinted to us that AT&T was cooking up a new bring your own broadband (BYOB) VoIP offering as well. This week finds several readers writing in to say AT&T has e-mailed them about CallVantage's looming death, though AT&T still isn't willing to talk about any new product launches on this front. AT&T's letter simply says Callvantage will be shuttered sometime in 2009, with more information at a later date.

AT&T has finally unveiled their long-awaited new VoIP service, which the company is calling U-Verse Voice. The service, which will ultimately supplant AT&T's CallVantage service, is being launched first in Detroit. Additional markets will be launched throughout the year. According to the AT&T press release, users can choose from two calling plans, starting at $30 monthly if you bundle: story continues..

If you’ve been following the many different patent lawsuits that Vonage is involved in, you know that the company agreed to a settlement with AT&T last month. The terms of the settlement at that time were that Vonage would pay out nearly $40 million to AT&T over the next five years. However, those terms were pending finalization. Vonage has now issued a press release which confirms that the two companies did indeed agree to a settlement.

In the continuing round of lawsuits involved Vonage and claims of patent infringement, AT&T has chimed in and filed suit. The company claims that Vonage “willfully infringed an AT&T patent” related to VoIP services. Perhaps AT&T is just hoping that Vonage will settle out of court, as the company did earlier this month in a similar case with Sprint. AT&T may find that Vonage isn't going to settle so easily. The company is still fighting tooth and nail to survive, asking last week for a ruling review in yet another similar case with Verizon. Maybe the story dates back further than that; is AT&T holding an old grudge for the time that Vonage sued AT&T over the name of their VoIP services?

AT&T tells Investor's Business Daily that the company will be bundling VoIP service with U-Verse before the end of the year. So far, the company has been offering standard, circuit-switched phone service with U-Verse as part of a $99 bundle in many markets. VoIP will simply be switched in as the third option, though this new VoIP service will not be CallVantage, which AT&T says struggled with "capacity limitations." story continues..