LIVINGSTON, N.J., Nov. 8,  2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Phone.com, Inc., a provider of VoIP and cloud-based telephone service specializing in small-sized businesses and home offices (SOHO), today announced it is offering free accounts for service for up to one year to as many as 100 businesses in New Jersey that have been affected by Superstorm Sandy.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121002/NY84926LOGO )

Even if their own brick-and-mortar locations are in disrepair, businesses whose office communications hardware or systems have been knocked out by storm-related coastal surge, rain, wind or other damage from Sandy can take advantage of accounts with Phone.com to re-establish their presence with their customers.

"SMBs and SOHOs can stay viable and remain in business if they maintain a telephone presence despite having their buildings wiped out, unusable during repair or left without electrical power for weeks at a time, and that's where Phone.com can help," said Ari Rabban, co-founder and CEO.  "As a New Jersey business, we're making our offer to as many as 100 fellow business people in the Garden State."

Each free, one-year Phone.com account would include free calling minutes for 12 months and in switching their numbers to Phone.com's hosted service, affected businesses retain their existing telephone numbers so that to callers they appear in business as usual.

"We would require a business name, address and owner contact information, and we would need a credit card for incidental expenses," said Rabban, who recently joined the board of directors of the New Jersey Technology Council.

Businesses can sign up for free Phone.com accounts at its website – http://www.phone.com/products/sandy/ – and using the code "SANDY," or by calling 1-800-514-7987 toll-free.

With Phone.com, as long as a business has a "cloud-based" telephone number, calls can always be received even if power to a building fails.  It doesn't matter what device a business person has, or where he or she is located, because Phone.com's advanced calling rules allow any phone number to ring a VoIP land line, mobile phone, copper-wire line or tablet-based "soft" phone simultaneously.  So an SMB's entire workforce can work remotely and be reachable, appearing to customers as if the company is open for business as usual.

Additionally:

• The options are user controlled via browser, including by smartphone, so call-routing arrangements can be dynamic, based on need.
• Calls can easily be forwarded to other areas, away from storm-affected areas. So if a building is shut down, other people in a different location can answer calls.
• If cable broadband and copper landlines are down, business people can use Phone.com with a "soft" phone on their PCs, tablets or smartphones with Wi-Fi and remain in operation.

About Phone.com
Phone.com® is a cloud-based phone company offering a variety of innovative and economical business and home phone services for entrepreneurs, home offices, small businesses and individuals. Powered by advanced VoIP technologies, the company offers Phone.com Virtual Office for small businesses, Phone.com Virtual Number for individuals on the go, Phone.com Home Phone Plus for consumers and Phone.com Mobile Office and Mobile VoIP.

SOURCE Phone.com