As more voice minutes are switched to the Internet and traditional telecoms firms react, marketing and service costs are likely to rise, narrowing the price-gap over time.

ECONOMIST: Internet telephony

The company already has about 5, 000 business customers who buy everything from local phone service to high-speed Internet access, and it is spending heavily on marketing to recruit more.

FORBES: Fiber in the sagebrush

Stephanie Chandler is a professional speaker and author of Own Your Niche: Hype-Free Internet Marketing Tactics to Establish Authority in Your Field and Promote Your Service-Based Business.

FORBES: The Power of Saying No--And Why This Should Be Your Top Resolution for 2013

Stephanie Chandler is a publisher, professional speaker, and author of Own Your Niche: Hype-Free Internet Marketing Tactics to Establish Authority in Your Field and Promote Your Service-Based Business.

FORBES: The Blog Abyss: Why Your Blog Isn't Generating Traffic and What You Can Do About It

"Any consumer, anywhere can now enjoy an affordable, high-speed internet bundle that includes DIRECTV service, " said Shannon Campain, senior vice president of Sales and Marketing Operations for DIRECTV.

ENGADGET: DirecTV, ViaSat launch Exede satellite broadband and TV bundles