Credit: Metamorworks / Getty Images Since this story was originally reported, it has been updated to add more detail regarding AIM Phoneline’s “reputation scores.”AOL, the Internet service provider owned by media behemoth Time Warner, will soon enter the voice-over IP (VoIP) market when it launches a new service based on its AIM instant messenger that will provide users with a free local phone number, USA Today reports.The free phone number would be capable of receiving calls from any phone, but it could not place outgoing calls, according to USA Today. A higher-end version of the service, dubbed AIM Phone Unlimited, will allow users to pay $14.95 per month to make outgoing calls to all local and long-distance phone numbers within the United States and 30 other countries, USA Today reports.To place calls via AIM Phone, users would need a headset connected to a computer and they’d have to be signed on to AIM via a broadband connection, according to USA Today. The service will be available in the leading 50 U.S. markets by the end of May, USA Today reports.Voice capabilities are not new to instant-messaging services. AIM, Yahoo and MSN already offer similar features, but John McKinley, AOL’s president of digital services, told USA Today that AIM Phone is different because it features an actual phone number, emergency services line and more. For instance, the AIM Phone will work together with the AIM service and AOL’s e-mail function, displaying an easy-access drop-down menu at the base of the messenger and sending an e-mail whenever a voice-mail message is received, according to USA Today. “If you are not online, a caller will listen to a personalized greeting from you, the voicemail is sent to your email inbox, and, should you want, you will get a text message on your cell phone telling you the number of the caller who left the message, the time and date of the message, and its length,” McKinley told CIO.com.In addition, all callers will build “reputation scores,” which allow them to be identified by AIM Phoneline as telemarketers or other annoyances, in order to filter out unwanted calls.AOL also plans to unveil its social networking site, AIM Pages, in May, according to USA Today, to compete with the popular Web locale, MySpace.For related news coverage, read AOL Says Goodbye to 835K Subscribers.Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content feature 13 essential skills for accelerating digital transformation IT leaders too often find themselves behind on business-critical transformation efforts due to gaps in the technical, leadership, and business skills necessary to execute and drive change. By Stephanie Overby Jun 05, 2023 12 mins Digital Transformation IT Skills tip 3 things CIOs must do now to accurately hit net-zero targets More than a third of the world’s largest companies are making their net-zero targets public, yet nearly all will fail to hit them if they don’t double the pace of emissions reduction by 2030. This puts leading executives, CIOs in particul By Diana Bersohn and Mauricio Bermudez-Neubauer Jun 05, 2023 5 mins CIO Accenture Emerging Technology case study Merck Life Sciences banks on RPA to streamline regulatory compliance Automated bots assisted in compliance, thereby enabling the company to increase revenue and save precious human hours, freeing up staff for higher-level tasks. By Yashvendra Singh Jun 05, 2023 5 mins Digital Transformation Robotic Process Automation feature Expedia poised to take flight with generative AI CTO Rathi Murthy sees the online travel service’s vast troves of data and AI expertise fueling a two-pronged transformation strategy aimed at growing the company by bringing more of the travel industry online. By Paula Rooney Jun 02, 2023 7 mins Travel and Hospitality Industry Digital Transformation Artificial Intelligence Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe