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Showing posts with label VoIP resellers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label VoIP resellers. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

VoIP Resellers: Delivering effective Telephony Solutions

VoIP Resellers: Delivering effective Telephony Solutions

by Kristen Kiya


VoIP Resellers are ones that sell their telephony services to customers with support from the wholesalers. A reseller is more of a service provider that furnishes its services with the best of facilities. The resellers play an important role in maintaining an open channel between the wholesalers and the customers. They thus ensure that the senders and receivers of phone calls can avail all the facilities of high-end IP telephony.
The VoIP resellers play a pivotal role in building a link between the wholesalers and the end-users. They play the role of a mediator between the higher tiers and the customers. Thus it is possible to have high-end connectivity solutions that are downsized and brought to the door of customers with the aid of VoIP resellers. These resellers offer the facilities of voice services at a minimal cost.

The VoIP reseller functions on the principle of availing services from the higher tiers or wholesalers on lease. They then resell the IP telephony solutions to the customers of a particular region. The VoIP reseller programs are made effective by some exclusive offers. They normally function as part of private label or white label. The private label programs are those through which the customers can go for specific brand building exercises. On the other hand, the white label programs are those that provide the services without the added advantage of branding. As a matter of fact, more and more companies are availing the services of the carriers. They are making the most of the VoIP business opportunities in order to expand their business operations. The companies have now started to realize that with VoIP, the opportunities would only increase and they can put these solutions to the best of their advantage. Thus, a large number of companies have started to avail the reseller services in this domain. Call centers are known for acceding to these high-end solutions for meeting their enormous communication needs.

Voice over IP has also found its way into the private lives of people. There are subscribers of voice over services that find it more convenient in comparison to the traditional form of telephony. Some have converted their traditional phones to Voice over IP by making use of an Analog Telephone Adaptor (ATA). The VoIP resellers thus are a good alternative to traditional telephony as the service charge is also kept low. The service can also be accessed with a computer or a laptop and so now the user can remain connected from any part of the world. The VoIP resellers just have to buy the connections from wholesalers and then resell them to customers and then abide by certain terms and conditions.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

VoIP Resellers: serving the end users with great efficiency

VoIP Resellers: serving the end users with great efficiency

by Kristen Kiya


Whether the customer is a professional, a businessperson, or a residential user, the VoIP resellers are serving them efficiently. The VoIP reseller works as intermediary between the providers and end users. They avail some portion of IP switches from recognized service providers and serve it to end users.

By observing the current market trends, we can say that voice over IP is securing immense popularity over standard switch telephony networks. Therefore, it will not be wrong to say that affiliation with VoIP providers and VoIP resellers is an ultimate prospect to relate with the great carriers.

This is a fact that each day many business and corporate houses are moving towards the voice services for getting more advantages and benefits. If a person has a large customer base and proficient marketing capabilities, then he or she can clearly get great turnovers from a VoIP reseller business opportunity. The service providers or wholesalers serve complete infrastructures and offer technical support to the IP resellers to steer their calls over the Internet. Accordingly, the resellers should take care about putting fewer investment for proffering the VoIP reseller services to the end users.

A good command over the technology behind voice over internet protocol is not needed for entities wanting to make the most of any reseller business opportunity that could present itself from time to time. If we look at the modern world and the future drifts of the voice over IP, we will find that there is an extreme spurt in the need for VoIP wholesaler and reseller services. With the proper application of call termination to their business, the corporate users are able to transfer voice, data, and video concurrently over one IP network. With VoIP, users get the ability to undertake assorted chores and they can even make multi calls or surf the Internet while conversing at a given time.

VoIP reseller services include various provisions like accessing Internet at high-speeds and enabling the end users to make more than one call at any time. The Voice over IP resellers are also permitting their end users to share videos, data, and voice by using a single line only. In addition, the users can make long distance international calls at inexpensive call rates.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

How Does VoIP Really Work?

How Does VoIP Really Work?

by Michael Lemm


VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. By using a VoIP phone and VoIP technology you can effectively use the internet to make phone calls. VoIP does this by placing the voice calls on network which encrypts the voice in data packets at one end and encrypts it in voice calls at the other end. In VoIP, encryption and decryption is from a analog signal (i.e. your voice call) into digital signal (data packets) and again into the analog signal.
You can make VOIP calls by a regular phone with VOIP adapter or even from your computer using a simple microphone. VoIP applications can generally be used with a simple microphone and computer speakers, but IP telephones or VoIP boxes can also be used, providing an experience identical to normal telephoning. Many VOIP manufacturers are designing phones which are specially meant to work with this technology, called SIP phone, and now extensively used by growing VoIP users.

In the past year, the quality and reliability of VoIP technology has improved to the point that vast numbers of users have abandoned their standard telephone contracts entirely, in favor of VoIP. Local as well as long distance calling is available for VoIP. Rates and plans can vary from one VoIP service provider to another VoIP service provider.

Advantages of using VOIP

Using VOIP you can effectively cut down your phone bills, since you just pay to your regular internet connection and small fees to your VOIP service provider. Setting up conference calls with VOIP is very easy.

You can even set up your own VoIP network and don't need any special equipment like PBX etc. You can call to any local telephone, mobile, long distance number or any international number through VoIP phones. More importantly, the person you are calling by using VoIP technology does not need any special equipment; just a regular telephone.

Many additional features like call forwarding, call tracing, reminders, caller ID are readily available in VoIP Phones. You can even assign a local telephone number to your VOIP phone set, and just need a fast internet connection to use your VOIP service anywhere in the world.

VoIP Dilemma

VoIP applications and services require data transfer in real time. During a call an interactive data voice exchange takes place. Unfortunately, TCP/IP is not well suited for this purpose. Sometimes you have to wait for a few seconds, to hear the other side answering. But with recent developments streaming the flow of voice signals has improved. PC-to-PC and PC-to-phone calling quality is still not as sharp as regular PSTN calls. However, with SIP phones and a reliable high speed internet connection there is little or no difference....and sometimes the quality is even better.

SIP Phones

SIP Phones are the phones which are specifically designed to work as VOIP phones. SIP phone can be considered as a network endpoint routing voice via its IP address. This allows a DID (direct inward dialing) number to move with a user. With SIP phones you can use advanced features like voice mail to email etc. Using a SIP phone also closely resembles a regular analog phone in look, feel, function, and ease of use.

FCC and VoIP

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates VOIP Services in the USA. They are in charge to create and promote telecommnuication regulations....such as VOIP services....to benefit consumers. In November, 2004 FCC ruled that individual States do not have the jurisdiction to impose taxes on VoIP services, which made the cost of VOIP services even more attractive in relation to standard PSTN phone services.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

VoIP - A Layman's Look - Should You or Shouldn't You?

VoIP - A Layman's Look - Should You or Shouldn't You?

by Dennis Schooley, BBA, CA


So what's all this VoIP hype anyway? I mean we all know that our voice can be delivered to the four corners of the globe over telephone lines. (Actually, I missed that part of second grade math where they taught us that a ball has corners, but everybody says it, so I'll accept it). Alex G. Bell, the second most famous resident of Brantford, Ontario, right after Wayne Gretzky of course, led us down the voice transmission path.

We're also fully aware of the Internet. Otherwise where would we get our sports scores, weather reports, horoscopes, and genealogy fixes. So why do we care about the real-time transmission of our voice, in telephone quality, using Internet protocol (VoIP)?

Presumably the whole concept was created to deliver some benefit to us techno-ignorant dwellers of the house of the masses. As business people we manufacture shin pads, or we distribute cat food, or we evangelize, but should we be considering VoIP? Will it make us money, or save us time? Will it make us more efficient as a Manufacturer, Distributor, or Evangelist? If the answer to those questions is no, then we shouldn't even think about it. So let's explore those questions. After all, it's all about results.

Geoffrey Moore introduced the concept that a product must cross the chasm of market acceptance in the 'Technology Adoption Life Cycle' in his book Crossing the Chasm. In his next book, Inside the Tornado, Moore talks about the tornado of market acceptance that lies like a siren beyond the chasm. It appears that VoIP is clawing up the far wall of the chasm, but we don't know for sure whether it will find that toe hold to crawl out, and catch the swirling tornado winds of fortune. All indicators are that it's going to happen. Dorothy and the Tin Man are holding their breath.

Perhaps the most significant indicator is that the 'business-prevention specialists', a title I usually reserve for lawyers, but in this case is applied affectionately to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), have begun the task of investigating what should be regulated in the world of VoIP. The FCC has already delivered a ruling on a VoIP product offered by AT&T. That fact in itself should make us all take notice that there must be something good coming, or they wouldn't be showing up at the dance to make sure the band isn't too loud.

Larry Stocker, of Schooley Mitchell Telecom Consultants in Kansas City says, "if my clients' interest in VoIP is any indicator, then I think there will be a big increase in the provision of the service. We have quadrupled our number of assignments in the last six months alone, for clients that wish to select the right VoIP service, at the right price, from the right supplier. That seems to be a good indicator of market acceptance."

Another good indicator would be the number of suppliers, including the tier-one Telco's that have entered the fray to provide VoIP in their own particular flavor. That fact should cause us pause. It should cause us to challenge the original premise that 'talking over the Internet will be free', and that there will be no long distance cost any more. If that were the case, would all of these big companies - the renowned leaders in the telecom world - be scrambling to get to market to provide the service? Maybe it's just their way of giving back to society. I'm more inclined to think there are huge profits at stake.

And now you say, 'but I've already got the Internet, why isn't it free'. Well first of all, you'll need some kind of device that delivers 'telephone quality' over the Internet. Remember, I said 'real time'. Those $20 microphones just don't do it. In addition, have you ever tried to put someone on hold on the Internet, or call forward, or take a voice message - you know, the things that businesses do everyday.

Presumably that's what all these suppliers are running the relay for - to sell you that 'stuff' at the end of the race. Whether they sell it to you outright, or whether you rent it from them for a monthly service fee isn't the point. The point is that there is a cost to get access, as well as proper business applications. Included in the cost, which will be recovered through charges to you, are signaling, routing, protocol, and interface technologies. Oops, that's not layman's talk.

In addition to the access 'stuff' as a layman would say, there has to be access to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), or I would never be able to call my mother. VoIP calls have to terminate on everyday telephone sets because I'm pretty sure my mom doesn't have a VoIP set up at her house. She doesn't have a bankcard, won't stay in a hotel that doesn't have 'real keys', and still loves her dial phone (definitely in Moore's technology buying group called Skeptics or Laggards). There is no way I'll be talking to her over her Internet connection - she doesn't have one, and never will. So this VoIP thing will have to access the normal phone system. That's where the FCC and CRTC step in. Their position is that if the PSTN will be accessed, then access fees will have to be paid by the providers. And up goes the cost.

In his book, Implementing Voice Over IP, Bhumip Khasnabish, says "The goals of VoIP implementation are to achieve (a) significant savings in network maintenance and operations costs and (b) rapid rollout of new services."

O.K., so it's not free but there should be 'significant savings' if that holds true. Assuming those savings will be passed on, it should make me more money through cost reduction. Presumably these 'new services' will be designed to save me time, make me more efficient, or provide easier access to my target markets. Just think if one step can be eliminated in the manufacture of shin pads, if distribution channels for cat food are more streamlined, or the Evangelist can find more heathens to convert.

Bill Webster, another Schooley Mitchell consultant in Calgary, Alberta says, "the key is to assess the reliability and quality of service. If the quality is what you need, and by the way, it's improving every day, then a cost-benefit analysis is required comparing your current access to VoIP. Often times VoIP is the winner. As new services with VoIP become available over time, that win will be even more evident for the regular business person."

So there you have it. Should you or shouldn't you, as the title queries? It seems that the answer is akin to; should I or shouldn't I, when Alexander Graham introduced the telephone concept in the first place. I'm pretty sure that everyone, at least those that are alive today, eventually got one. Bell had to deal with laggards too.

It seems that this is the way the market will develop if the supply and regulatory indicators hold true. VoIP is not out of the chasm yet, but when this many suppliers enter the arena, then functionality is driven up to deliver the 'better mouse trap', price is driven down through competitive alternatives, reliability (the bugs are worked out) is driven up by the same forces, and you have emergence.

It seems that if you take Webster's advice and prepare the proper cost-benefit analysis, you're likely going to be getting your kite ready for the VoIP tornado.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

The role of VoIP resellers

The role of VoIP resellers

by Kristen Kiya


Reselling opportunities in IP telephony services have become prevalent in the present day world. New business avenues have opened up and the VoIP resellers are making the most of the up-beat market conditions. The traditional phones have been replaced with voice over IP solutions - and the demand for IP telephony services is on the increase.

The concept of call termination takes on added significance within this framework. In call termination, calls are routed over the Internet. It becomes possible to send data, voice and video simultaneously over the same network. More than one call can be made at a single point in time - and that too at very high speeds. These features have significant importance - especially when one is talking about meeting the needs of corporate users such as contact centers, call centers and other entities. As a matter of fact, industry trends show that the corporate users are more than eager to benefit from the innovative solutions that are on offer.

The SMBs and call centers are very much enthusiastic about making the most of the IP telephony solutions to improve their business efficiencies and to reduce their costs. The business VoIP resellers fill in the void for the same in specific geographic locales.

And it does not take too much to become a branded VoIP reseller. A corporate entity does not need to have know-how on the technical aspects of voice over ip to become a reseller. All that is needed is an extensive client base and a "more than adequate" marketing presence. A corporate entity that fulfil these two conditions can become a branded reseller of VoIP- and that too without any trouble. To achieve this, it has to subscribe to the VoIP reseller programs that are offered by the service providers.

It can then acquire the know-how and the infrastructure from the service providers that would be necessary for call termination; the same can then be sold to end-users and customers - sometimes, even with specific brand names.

Quite a few players are taking advantage of the VoIP reseller opportunities in this domain and making their presence felt.

VoIP