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Bright House Networks launched Hosted Voice on July 18, 2013, as a cloud-based business phone service for small and midsized companies. It bundled phone service, hardware, support, and maintenance for a monthly charge; a 2018 filing later said the company intended to discontinue it for both new and existing customers.
What was Bright House Hosted Voice?
Hosted Voice was Bright House Networks Business Solutions’ hosted business phone service. Bright House described it as a turn-key, facilities-based VoIP solution: calls used the company’s managed hybrid fiber-coaxial network, while the phone-system functions were hosted rather than managed on a customer-owned PBX.
The launch announcement said the monthly price covered service, hardware, ongoing support, maintenance, and automatic technology upgrades. Bright House promoted minimized upfront costs, no installation charge, no equipment purchase, and a dedicated phone connection separate from Internet service. It also highlighted network redundancy and the ability to scale service as a business’s needs changed. The announcement did not state a monthly price or specify the terms behind those claims.
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At launch, Bright House described itself as serving approximately 2.5 million customers. That was the company’s own 2013 figure, not a measure of Hosted Voice subscribers. Josh Ebert, then corporate vice president of SMB Sales and Operations, said the service was aimed at smaller businesses seeking a professional phone system that could scale with demand.
#1 Best Overall
- Supports 4 (GRP2613) or 6 (GRP2613W) SIP accounts and 6 multipurpose line keys
- Power supply : Integrated Power over Ethernet (PoE) IEEE 802.3af Class 2 or Universal power adapter Input: 100-240V; Output: +5VDC, 0.5A. It does not use batteries.
- Swappable face plates to allow for easy logo customization. Equipped with noise shield technology to minimize background noise
- HD audio with support for all major codecs, including wideband codecs G.722 and Opus. Up to 24 digital BLF keys
- Integrated dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) Wi-Fi 6 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax) and Bluetooth (GRP2613W only)
What features did the service include?
The July 2013 launch announcement listed these business calling features:
- Disaster recovery: a continuity feature intended to help businesses respond to service disruptions.
- Unified messaging: messaging features gathered into a unified experience.
- Mobile follow-me: a way to extend call reach to a user away from a desk phone.
- Call overflow queue: a queue for calls that could not be answered immediately.
- Auto attendant: an automated menu for directing callers.
- Enhanced call logs: expanded records of calls.
Bright House’s 2014 advertisement also described user-specific Feature Packs. It promoted Cisco desk phones and automatic technology upgrades as part of its offering. The materials do not identify the included Cisco phone models, so they do not establish compatibility with any particular handset today.
Rank #2
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- Opus codec support, Dual USB ports, Dual-port Gigabit Ethernet & Dual firmware images
- The full keyboard and intelligent search support simplifies user input
- Support for multi-touch operations, offering unbelievable ease of use
Did Bright House include Cisco phones?
Bright House’s 2014 advertisement said the service came with “top-of-the-line Cisco phones,” and its launch materials described hardware as part of the monthly service bundle. So Cisco phones were advertised as included equipment. The available materials do not give model numbers, a universal phone-selection list, or the conditions for keeping or returning equipment when service ended.
How did Bright House’s hosted voice platform develop?
| Date | What Bright House or its partners announced |
|---|---|
| November 26, 2012 | Bright House announced an agreement to acquire Telovations, a provider of hosted voice services including hosted PBX and managed SIP trunking. Bright House said the acquisition would expand its cloud-based managed-services portfolio for enterprise and small and midsized businesses. Source: Bright House Networks announcement. |
| July 18, 2013 | Bright House Networks Business Solutions announced Hosted Voice as a turn-key phone service for small and midsized businesses. Source: Bright House Networks launch announcement. |
| 2014 | Bright House expanded its unified-communications offering with video calling, instant messaging and presence, desktop sharing, web collaboration, and a mobile app that worked with Hosted Voice. Source: Bright House Networks announcement. |
| April 17, 2014 | Cisco said Bright House had deployed Cisco Network Convergence System infrastructure to support cloud-based managed services, including hosted voice, call center, application as a service, and infrastructure as a service. The infrastructure also supported managed security, network transport, Wi-Fi, and traditional voice and data. Source: Cisco announcement. |
| October 10, 2018 | A regulatory filing said Bright House intended to discontinue Hosted IP Voice for new and existing customers. The filing reported ten customer accounts across twenty service locations. Source: Bright House Networks regulatory filing. |
What happened to Bright House Hosted Voice?
The October 10, 2018 regulatory filing is the clearest available statement about the service’s end: Bright House intended to discontinue Hosted IP Voice for existing as well as new customers. It described a hosted interconnected VoIP service for business customers delivered through configurations that included T-1 or DS1 Internet transport, MPLS transport, or workers’ home Internet service. Those were configurations described in the filing, not a claim that every customer used each type of connection.
Rank #3
- Supports 4 SIP accounts and 4 multi-purpose line keys
- Swappable faceplate to allow for easy logo customization
- GRP2612W includes built-in dual-band Wi-Fi support. Ethernet cord must be disconnected to enable Wi-Fi capability
- HD audio supporting all major codecs, including wideband codecs G.722 and Opus Up to 16 digital BLF Keys
- Enterprise-level protection including secure boot, dual firmware images, and encrypted data storage
The filing said similar services were available from other telecommunications carriers and interconnected VoIP providers, but it did not name a direct successor to Bright House Hosted Voice. The materials available here do not establish a specific replacement service, its availability, or whether any customer accounts were migrated.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to check when choosing a replacement
Since the filing identifies a category of similar providers rather than a named successor, compare current hosted business VoIP, hosted PBX, SIP trunking, or unified-communications services against the needs of your business. Confirm details directly with providers for your location and proposed configuration.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Make more natural and life-like calls with Polycom HD Voice
- 2. 8” color display: an engaging experience offering visual information at a glance
- Two Gigabit Ethernet ports offer cost savings and performance benefits
- USB port enables users to move data around more quickly
- Integrates with more than 60 industry leading call control platforms
Rank #4
- Quick and easy installation: Connect the main console to analog lines via RJ11; cordless handsets/desksets pair wirelessly with one-touch DECT 6.0 technology—no professional wiring or assistance needed for fast small office setup.
- Expandable to 10 stations: Grow your 4-line small business phone system seamlessly by adding up to 9 cordless handsets or desksets—ideal for scaling operations without replacing equipment.
- Professional auto attendant per line: Automatically answers calls on each of the 4 lines, offers company directory access, routes to extensions, and records voicemail for efficient, polished call management.
- Reliable digital answering system: Captures up to 180 shared minutes of incoming messages, announcements, and memos—ensuring no important calls are missed during busy hours.
- Enhanced productivity features: Full-duplex speakerphone for natural conversations, extra-large display, caller ID/call waiting, 100-name phonebook, 32 speed dials, cordless headset support, intercom, and customizable music-on-hold via 2.5mm jack.
- Users and locations: Check supported user counts, locations, and geographic availability.
- Connectivity: Determine whether calls use dedicated or shared connectivity and what Internet service the system requires.
- Calling features: Confirm hosted PBX or SIP capabilities, auto attendant, call queues, unified messaging, mobility, and disaster recovery.
- Phones and ownership: Ask which hardware models are supported, whether phones are included or purchased separately, and who owns the equipment.
- Migration costs: Confirm installation, number-porting, and any other one-time charges.
- Service commitments: Review support hours, uptime and redundancy commitments, contract terms, and current pricing.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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