Friday, September 23, 2011

WhichVoIP announces International Partnership


WhichVoIP.com, a leading resource for comparing residential and business VoIP service provider solutions based in Seattle USA, today announced a Partnership with South African local site WhichVoIP.co.za, to manage their Opportunities in Africa.
The partnership will see the International site leverage off the local operation to extend services into African countries, and allow for Business and Residential users to look toward WhichVoIP to connect them with Solution Providers in their local vicinity. 

We have always seen significant opportunity in Africa for the benefits and cost savings that VoIP brings to users and been eager to formally extend services to these markets. WhichVoIP.co.za will help us achieve this goal a lot quicker and provide the in-country knowledge and expertise to help best serve African users. Our Values and Missions are aligned – we’re after the same things, which is always a strong foundation in a partnership. We’re encouraged and very excited by what the SA guys are doing so we look forward to the Partnership and ultimately helping African users benefit from VoIP technology", says Mike B, Director at WhichVoIP.com.

Commenting on the Partnership, local site founder, Mitchell Barker said “We are proud to be associated with WhichVoIP.com who lead the way in online VoIP Provider research, comparison and rating services. Each day thousands of visitors from all over the world point their browser to WhichVoIP.com to assist them with their Technology Evaluations, thus easing the Decision making process. The idea of collating competitive information and demystifying the technology by presenting this in a relevant and simple to understand way, means that VoIP Value Proposition becomes better understood, which in turn results in a quicker adoption”.

WhichVoIP.co.za allows users investigate VoIP technology in South Africa, Evaluate providers through a Research Report and Comparison Tool, and produces an accurate Quotation that features an ROI (return on investment) calculation with indicative fixed and variable costs for their chosen VoIP provider. WhichVoIP then close the loop by facilitating an introduction between provider and customer.

The Site also boasts a repository for all things VoIP, and a Forum for users to interact, as well as follow their chosen VoIP providers in the News Aggregation section. There is a Directory of credible VoIP providers, and interesting Articles and Guides.

http://www.whichvoip.co.za/index.php?option=com_blog&view=blog&Itemid=6 

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

WhichVoIP.co.za goes FREE

WhichVoIP.co.za goes FREE!

WhichVoIP.co.za, South Africa’s largest VoIP research, reporting and comparison website now offers all their services at no charge to web users.

Through a research report and comparison tool on the site, users are able to evaluate providers, and produce an accurate quotation that features an ROI (return on investment) calculation with indicative fixed and variable costs for each chosen VoIP provider; in order to effectively investigate and evaluate VoIP technology in South Africa.

WhichVoIP.co.za then facilitates the introduction between provider and customer, completing the cycle from investigation to contact.

“Our aim is to become the major resource for all things VoIP in South Africa”, said Mitchell Barker, founder of www.whichvoip.co.za

“The use of the World Wide Web is a common place in obtaining information when making purchasing decisions and therefore, we decided to make all of the services available at no cost to our audience. We want people to know that we are serious about delivering on what the market needs.”

Aside from the reports, WhichVoIP.co.za brings all disparate VoIP information and news relevant to South Africa together, through an easy to navigate interface, presented in a manner which aims to take the guesswork out of the technology; as well as who is offering what in the market.

WhichVoIP.co.za has enjoyed organic growth over the past few months, and have an exciting roadmap planned in terms of site functionality going forward.

“We currently have over 25 common VoIP providers on the site, and we’re growing rapidly. We invite other VoIP providers to follow, engage with us to see what opportunities are available for partnering with us.”

http://www.whichvoip.co.za/index.php?option=com_blog&view=comments&pid=165&Itemid=6

Monday, August 15, 2011

VoIP is a Commodity


VoIP 2.0 – Part 1

VoIP is a commodity. Don’t believe me? I would be surprised to hear of a company who hasn’t been offered this technology in one form or another. I mean really, hard VoIP users topped the 100m mark based on Research conducted in UK and released in 2010. In South Africa, Bred pre 2005 -legalized then, 6 years on, and VoIP is more of a topical subject today than ever before.

The only difference now is that VoIP has a new face. There used to be a clear distinction between VoIP, IP Telephony and Unified Communications. Going forward, its going to be about Users (not devices) and Applications (not Features).

I am terming this piece as VoIP 2.0 with the intent of highlighting what I believe to be ‘Survival mode for VoIP’. Those not moving with the times will struggle to retain their customers until they can wrap enough value around what it is they are offering. The market is ready for Providers to step up to the plate.

So what trends in this “2 dot 0” acronym? In my view, the “2.0” wave is about Innovation, to continue re-inventing yourself, focus on changing the user experience, and adding value to your customers by addressing their individual and specific communication requirements. Fundamentally, The normal VoIP Value Proposition just doesn’t cut it anymore.

VoIP 2.0 is not going to be about Cheap Minutes - VoIP 2.0 is going to be about Application. Cheap(er) minutes will be the value-add and not the primary reason for adoption of the technology.

A few examples of this could be (or a few examples of VoIP Applied, versus VoIP LCR (Least Cost Routing)

Connectivity via VoIP = Commodity.            
Survivability through VoIP = Application.

VoIP onto Cellphones = Commodity.             
Mobility, Single Number Identity, Always being Contactable = Application.

VoIP conferencing = Commodity.                      
Managed and Recorded Conferencing, Voice and Video; with Collaboration between users – on the fly = Application.

Customers have started to realize that Productivity gains, Improved Efficiency, and Seamless Contactability through VoIP are now tangible measurables. This isn’t “pie in the sky” stuff anymore. Unified Communications can be ‘general’ technology, but when mapped into a customer’s organization in a way that positively affects how that company does business – well that’s then you start to realize these benefits.

The Key differentiators in a market with these dynamics will be experience, and flexibility. I would like to think that there aren’t too many Major providers that bring both to the Market. Understanding who is and who will be positioned in the future - One thing is for sure – I don’t foresee more than a small handful of players in the next 3 years. Simply said, the Mammoths will continue to growth, certainly through acquisition of smaller players.

However, this doesn’t mean that those will be the only identities in the market. Building, Licensing, and Managing a VoIP Network simply isn’t a viable option anymore. Interconnect Agreements and Network Licenses are hard to come by, they’re expensive, and they eat away at the bottom line. This will present an opportunity for smaller companies to get involved and provision white-label services from the Major operators.

We will see an abundance of New Age technologies backed by Carrier Class Networks in many forms - VoIP driven applications and Business Models that will take us into the New Era, such as Hosted PBX as a Premise Based alternative, the move to open applications embedded into Common Interfaces which will tie in with Mobility, and last but certainly not least, Integration with common Business Applications.

At the end of the day, VoIP Providers need to start changing in an adapt or die Comms world. The next wave of Communications is on us, and in our Market, we’re seeing a lot more Small Businesses with Big Business requirements.

Carrier pre-select regulations delayed

The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) has pushed back implementation of phase one of carrier pre-select (CPS) regulations to 30 November, more than a year after final regulations were published.

Last September, ICASA finalised the regulations, which will allow consumers to choose which operator they want to use to carry a call. However, ICASA says in a statement that actual CPS will now only kick off in November.

According to Ellipsis Regulatory Solutions, fixed-line operators had to provide CPS within two months of the regulations coming into effect, while mobile operators have to provide CPS within four months of the first request being received.

Carrier pre-select has been in the pipeline since December 2008, when ICASA issued draft regulations and invited public comment.

ICASA says it engaged with the industry on progress of the implementation of phase one and decided to “develop an industry-led CPS code of conduct/practice to be completed in September 2011”.
A general notice containing full details of these developments will be published in the Government Gazette in due course, it says.

More choice

The purpose of CPS regulations is to promote competition by giving end-users the ability to choose which telecommunications carrier they prefer when making calls, ICASA says.

In practice, the regulations will allow a Telkom customer, for example, to select Neotel to carry a particular call, potentially benefiting from better rates. Consumers will choose which operator to use by first dialling an access code when calling a number.

Globally, regulations governing CPS have been accompanied by local loop unbundling (LLU), a highly-contested and long-awaited development in the local telecoms market.

LLU has been on the cards for the past decade, but has yet to become a reality in SA. In May 2007, then communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri set a 2011 deadline to free the last mile, a commitment the department repeated last November.

ICASA recently released a discussion document on LLU. The regulator says it will have regulations in place by November to facilitate open access to the last mile.

- ITWeb
http://www.itweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=154:it-governance-and-risk-management

Sunday, July 31, 2011

New Telkom Tariffs effective 01 August 2011

The last time we reported on the movement around the new Telkom Tariffs was a few weeks ago, and so much has happened since then that we almost sure that this has been forgotten. My overall thought on the matter is that its disappointing that there isnt an overall decrease in the cost of deploying and utilising Voice Services with Telkom, but it is encouraging that there is a Decrease in the Voice Rates which shows that the Market is going in the right direction!

Here is a quick summary of the changes that affect Basic Business users.

Telkom increases fixed-line rentals
http://www.whichvoip.co.za/index.php?option=com_kunena&Itemid=28&func=view&catid=6&id=246

As initially Reported, the Fixed-Line Rental and Installation Fees have been increased.
A Business Analog Line which used to cost R 152.63, will now set you back R 168.28. The Hunting Facility per line has also been increased from R 10.77 per line to R 11.48.

Telkom to cut local call rateshttp://www.whichvoip.co.za/index.php?option=com_kunena&Itemid=28&func=view&catid=6&id=247

Local Calls (0-50km)        drop from R 0.38 to R 0.37 - connection fee of R 0.50
National Calls (0-50km)   drop from R 0.57 to R 0.50 - connection fee of R 0.50
Mobile Calls                     drop from R 1.29 to R 1.23 - connection fee of R 1.23
Calls to VoIP                     varies per VoIP provider, but a drop in the connection fee to R 0.50
                                          (Cost to call is between R 0.53 and R 0.73)

The New Telkom Pricelist can be downloaded (PDF) from the following link:
http://www.telkom.co.za/general/pricelist/downloads/tarifflist_Aug11.pdf

The Previous Call Rate Pricing is still accessible via the following link:
http://www.telkom.co.za/common/pricelist/prices/local/customer_to_automatic_exh.html

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

What's Next For Skype?



It’s been an eventful last two months for Skype. Shortly after Microsoft made the biggest deal in its history with the acquisition of Skype for $8.5 billion, the latter suffered a massive outage. To make matters worse, Efim Bushmanov - a Russian freelance researcher claimed that he has successfully been able to reverse engineer the official Skype desktop implementation in an attempt to make the service open source.

The Big Daddy of Internet Telephony subsequently announced breakthrough partnerships with Facebook, Comcast and Telus. Microsoft patented ‘‘Legal Intercept‘ thereby alleviating privacy concerns that the company could secretly intercept, monitor and record Skype calls is stoking privacy concerns.

So, what’s next for Skype?

CEO Tony Bates is bullish that the Microsoft deal will be completed by October this year. He believes that one billion Skype ‘end points’ is no longer a distant dream and hinted that Skype is open to the idea of using in-call advertisements, as the company attempts to boost its revenue.

The Microsoft-Skype deal has received the required regulatory clearance in the United States but it still awaits a green signal from European regulatory authorities. Bates said that Skype would retain its original brand and it would constitute its own division at Microsoft. He believes Microsoft will help bring in ’strong commitment’ to the brand.

Bates isn’t averse to the idea of in-call advertising in Skype. He claims that since the average length of a video call has gone up, there’s room to introduce new opportunities through advertising. And it isn’t just playing advertisements, it could even be sharing ads across participants in a Skype call. In March, Skype started rolling out unobtrusive ads from major sponsors. It was then claimed that these ads ‘won’t interrupt your Skype experience.’ With Microsoft at the helm now, you never know what’s coming next.

Skype already has a strong foothold in the smartphone user segment. The company is now trying to bring goodies of the Internet world to the TV segment. Skype is pre-installed on 50 million TVs and companies like Comcast will begin offering Skype video calling to customers next year. Of course, monetization still remains a major challenge. There’s no denying that Skype needs to find ways to better monetize free calling and video chats – whether in-call advertising is the way to do it, I’m not so sure.

Did you like this post? TheTelecomBlog.com publishes daily news, editorial, thoughts, and controversial opinion – you can subscribe by: RSS (click here), or email (click here).

Written by: Gaurav Kheterpal. www.digitcom.ca. Follow TheTelecomBlog.comby: RSS,TwitterFacebook, or YouTube.

http://www.whichvoip.co.za/index.php?option=com_blog&view=comments&pid=159&Itemid=6

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Stating the obvious

Telkom finally concedes it's too big to react quickly to market changes but this reality check comes too late to make a difference.
 
By Nicola Mawson, ITWeb senior journalist.

Telkom has finally woken up and smelled the roses, admitting to a conundrum that analysts have been pointing out for years.

The telecoms company, which for decades had a monopoly over SA's communications and still dominates the fixed-line market, has admitted it's too big and cumbersome to react to the changing landscape quickly enough.

Recently appointed CEO Nombulelo “Pinky” Moholi this week admitted the telco has “neither the agility to seize market opportunities nor the ability to absorb competitive pressures ad infinitum”. A “step change” in the way it invests and operates is vital, she declared.

Consequences

Now that local loop unbundling is finally on the cards for November, the company is umming and ahhing over what implications letting go of the last mile will have on its operations.

Duh! For years, analysts have been pointing out that the huge “carrier” isn't nimble enough to turn around when the tide changes. Telkom has missed the boat several times by not reacting quickly enough to changes in the competitive landscape.

Moholi's comments, that Telkom needs to become more agile to cope in an ever-changing world, are a breath of fresh air. The telco must focus on areas that will aid revenue growth, and invest strategically instead of chucking money at ventures that burn cash, such as Multi-Links.

Telkom admits it needs to increase volumes to bolster revenue, and it will have to become more competitive to do so. Voice revenue, its traditional mainstay, is on the decline, a trend that's unlikely to reverse anytime soon.

Moholi wants the Independent Communications Authority of SA to back off, and stop regulating retail prices, as well as wholesale prices. If Telkom gets its way, it will be able to be much more competitive, supposedly benefiting end-users.

Too late
However, Telkom should have started worrying about competition almost two decades ago, instead of panicking about it now when the sector has moved on to a point where people are questioning the company's relevance.

Competition in the telecoms space arrived in 1994 when mobile operators were given the go-ahead to provide services. Telkom should have made a move then, but it didn't have to: it had a 50% stake in Vodacom, essentially a licence to print money.

In 2009, Telkom sold Vodacom, raking in a massive R40 billion profit. It took the company over a year to come up with the idea of competing with its former subsidiary by launching its own mobile arm, 8ta.

No-one expects 8ta to be a raging success and shake up the cellular market, and Telkom isn't surprised at the market's expectations. Judging by its previous well thought out, but badly executed growth strategies – Multi-Links, Telkom Media – the company has a lot of work to do to get 8ta right.

The cellular company will also need a lot of investment – R6 billion over five years – and is going up against competitors that have the market sewn up, and pockets deep enough to crush any newbies.
8ta isn't expected to be cash-generative until 2015, and until then the market can only hope it proves to be as successful as Telkom promises.

Missed opportunities
The combination of the cellphone company and Telkom's fixed-line operations should be a recipe for success in the converged space.

However, Telkom's competitors already have a head start in the converged space. Altech, Reunert and other competing telcos are battling it out to own market share in a world that is moving rapidly to IP-based communications where voice, data and video will meet on a converged platform.

Telkom still has to spend money on its networks to get rid of ancient switches and replace them with next-generation IP technology.

In fact, Telkom should have started rethinking its strategy three years ago when Altech took the late communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri to court to force the department to allow value-added network service providers to self-provision.

Altech's win paved the way for more than 400 value-added network services (VANS) to self-provide through electronic network services licences, instead of on-selling Telkom's services. Matsepe-Casaburri had doggedly opposed this concept since September 2004.

It didn't act then to mitigate any competitive effects. Instead, it sat back while companies started self-provisioning.

Collectively, companies such as Altech and Reunert are becoming serious forces to contend with. Neotel, which launched four years ago, has yet to turn into a believable second national operator. Despite the fact that it has yet to turn a profit, or garner the threatened 15% of market share, Neotel is eating into Telkom's profit.

This week, Telkom noted both Neotel and VANS “gained further traction,” hacking away at its share of the interconnection revenue pie.

On the contrary
Now that local loop unbundling (LLU) is finally on the cards for November, the company is umming and ahhing over what implications letting go of the last mile will have on its operations. Moholi called LLU a “major” risk.

Telkom should have started being concerned about LLU when it was first mooted five years ago. In fact, the clever thing to have done would have been to get the regulator to approve a plan that would have created a separate infrastructure company to host the last mile.

Problem solved. Telkom could have earned money, indirectly, by renting out the copper, and used that income to upgrade its infrastructure. Then it wouldn't be sitting with the worry of copper theft and outdated switches.

Instead, Telkom's full of arguments: there is no need to free the fixed last mile, the process isn't clear, November just isn't doable...

Consequently, the matter is likely to drag on for many more years while it and the regulator face off over a plethora of issues. And in the meantime? Smaller telcos that need access to the copper infrastructure to compete against Telkom have to find alternative solutions, or spend a fortune putting their own fibre into the ground.

Telkom can't have its cake and eat it. It can't suggest that the regulator back off and allow it to become more competitive while at the same time stand in the way of allowing more competition through LLU, a process that is years overdue.

Yes, Telkom is important to SA's economy, as Moholi took pains to point out this week, but if it doesn't get its strategy right now, it won't be relevant in five years' time. Too much is changing too fast.

- IT-Web

http://www.itweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=44573:stating-the-obvious&catid=267