Telecoms Equipment: Buying Vs. Leasing

In business, right decision-making is very fundamental. That means, before taking any step, involved parties should come together and decide the best way forward for the firm. When it comes to acquiring telecoms equipment, a business can either buy the phone systems or lease them. The decision you take depends on a number of issues but what you should consider most is whether the decision you make will transform the business. Here are two methods of acquiring telecommunication equipment and they will help you make the best decision.To start with, in business, given the chance, you should always consider buying something that appreciates in value and lease stuff or property that depreciates. This is because if you decide on reselling the property, you will get a profit instead of a loss. Having said that, you should know that telecoms equipment are among the assets that depreciate and from time to time, the technology behind business phone systems is bound to change which will mean the telecoms systems you have today might be irrelevant tomorrow, which will force you to acquire a new phone system. From this viewpoint, leasing telecoms equipment seems to be the better option for a business but do not rush into making such decision. You should first carry out a thorough analysis considering the following.
Before deciding whether to buy or lease telecoms systems, you should consider the availability of cash and the time you are required to make the payment. When leasing VoIP phone systems or anything, there are interest rates that leases attract. Also, in order to get money to lease the business phone system, chances are you will have to borrow, a move that equally attracts interest charges. What you have to do here is to analyze and see whether paying double interest rates to get telecommunication equipment on lease will be beneficial in the end or not.
You should also consider tax benefits that come with leasing telecoms systems and the tax implications of buying these equipments. When calculating this figure you should include all tax credits that you will accrue when you buy the telecoms equipment. All in all, the point is that you should consider the financial implication of either leasing or buying business phone systems. When doing the calculations, always involve your accounting team. As much as leasing comes with a number of tax breaks, always consider the amount you will pay to purchase the telecoms equipments and the lease rate. Also, consider the lifespan of the technology; if it is likely to outlive the lease, you better buy. Do not forget the financial position of the firm before acquiring phone systems.
At times, you should do both of buying and leasing. That means assessing which telecoms systems can benefit your company if you were to buy it instead of leasing. For instance, you can lease the hardware and buy the software. Here is how it works. Telecoms equipment like PBX and VoIP phone systems run on software which has to be bought or can be got for free. If you don't anticipate a drastic software change in the near future, you can buy it and lease PBX hardware. Whether you want to buy or lease telecoms equipment, not you should carry out a meticulous comparison before deciding.
Brad Mayhew is the author of this article on Telecoms.



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To want to start a VOIP business in Uganda?

I have recently been reviewing the business model for a company that is dealing in VOIP. For the uninitiated, VOIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol(VOIP). It is basically a technology/ies that allows telephone calls to be made over the internet rather than over traditional telephone lines.
I set out my simple and straight forward observations.
First the cons (of course)
1. Internet stability.
Internet in Uganda can be very unreliable and where it is reliable it is very expensive. Now this is very critical as to make calls over the internet you need VERY RELIABLE internet and so this is the starting point for anyone looking to invest in this sector. It is however not uncommon for an ISP to charge $1400 per month for 64 kbps. That's not alot of bandwidth as a typical telephone call requires about 8kbps at any time and so 64kbps supports only about 8 simultaneous conversations or less depending on internet conditions. The good news of course is that this is changing with fibre optic cables being laid all the time and so internet costs reduce. My best advice, use ADSL and shared bandwidth. UTL does a good job here, with a great value and generally reliable product if you can get the telephone line.
2. Competition
VOIP prides itself in being cheaper than the traditional telephone companies and many a VOIP provider will give you rates that are much cheaper than the networks. That was until recently. Many telecom providers in Uganda for example Orange have great international calling bundles that give the VOIP provider a run for their money. The VOIP provider is therefore having to compete with the telecom companies in offering customers international calling services. You have to therefore be prepared to look at your financials closely and constantly lest you fall into losses so do yourself a favour, get a good accountant!
3. The Exchange rate
The Uganda shilling is depreciating against the dollar and this may continue to be the case. In 2006 for example the rate was Shs 1,700 to the dollar. In 2011 at the time of writing, it is Shs 2800. For VOIP,this is critical as the main purchase is "digital airtime" from international VOIP providers. This is purchased in dollars and as such the prices charged to customers need to factor in the exchange rate, in addition to ensuring remaining competitive against the BIG BAD WOLVES (I mean the telecom companies).
4. Technology know how
VOIP is a specialised sector and so it of course requires someone with interest but this is not such a significant matter as employing an IT person will help reduce the entreprenuers need to worry about this.
5. Start up capital
From my rough estimates, a typical VOIP business (say a phone shop to support 6 phone booths) can ideally start up business from as little as UGX 8.7m. This should cover; rent at 500k per month (including 2 month deposit bringing it to 1.5m), internet installation and subscription; 700k, purchase of the VOIP and computer equipment; 1.975m, furniture/ fittings; 1m an inverter; 2m, legal and related costs; 700k and signage(to advertise); 500k.
From my analysis, a VOIP business on its own is however not profitable and therefore it is ESSENTIAL to also have an internet cafe running side by side. The costs of the internet cafe side plus the VOIP side stripping out the shared start up costs like rent and inverter will be 20,383,275. I have written about an internet cafe set up costs separately in the article on the internet cafe. The total start up cost is therefore about Shs 20m
AND NOW THE PROS
1. Profitability and quick return on capital
Like the rest of Africa, In Uganda there are tremendous growth opportunities in the ICT/ communications sector and per Uganda Investment Authority, this is one of their key sectors for investment. Call traffic continually increases as Ugandans enjoy higher incomes. Despite the biting inflation, there is a continual increase in call traffic. VOIP is not being left behind and assuming ICT sector growths averaging 25% per year turnover averaging Shs 53m would not be an exaggeration. On the basis of my knowledge of this sector, I set out a summary profitability picture as well as the return on capital (this includes a diversified model which includes an internet cafe). All estimates are in UGX. The exchange rate to the USD is about 1 USD = Shs 2,700.
Gross profit
1.Revenue- calls: 65,520,000. Assuming 7 days a week at 180k per day.
2.Revenue- internet: 13,884,000. Assuming Shs 290k per week from 4 computers and multi purpose maching.
3.Cost of sales: -49,140,000. Assuming it is 75% of revenue for calls on basis of exchange rate and reseller margin.
4.credit transfer cost: -1,228,500. Assuming 2.5% of cost of sales
5.Franchise fee: - 655,200. 1% of revenue-calls.
Gross profit: 28,380,300
Overheads
Rent: Shs 4,800,000
Internet: Shs 3,840,000
Staff costs:Shs 6,000,000
Other overheads: Shs. 1,800,000
Total overheads: 16,440,000
Net Profit: 11,940,300
Capital investment: 20,383,275
Return on Investment: 1.71 years.
2. Return on capital
On the basis of the above profit picture therefore, this business should be able to have a return on capital of 1.71 years. A word of caution here. The model above assumes full capacity growth and so may not necessarily reflect a start up business in say its first few months. In addition the model assumes the internet cafe and call shop will run side by side and concurrently. I have done a separate analysis of the VOIP model on its own and from my analysis it will take 90 years to get a return on your capital! In Uganda, there is therefore no alternative for a VOIP investor but to integrate the call shop and the VOIP services.
3. Diversified services
Despite the fierce competition, a VOIP business can survive by being diverse. Many VOIP providers do not only provide low cost international calls. They also provide other related services like cheap calls on your internet enabled phone, a foreign number(for example USA) even while in Uganda and use of VOIP in homes/offices. Some like http://www.telebm.com provide a special Uganda rate. In addition many integrate an internet cafe within their models as well as selling telephones and accessories. The diverisifed services spread the over head costs and enable continued profitability. In the profitability analysis above, I assume this business is diverse offering both VOIP and internet cafe services.
4. Franchise model.
The beauty about a VOIP business is that it is very scalable meaning you can keep on expanding to other towns, other urban centres, other countries. The typical VOIP provider will give you a software management system which can be accessed anywhere on the internet (after all since calls are made over the internet, call logs are likewise internet based). This gives a key advantage of remote monitoring for the business owner. You don't have to necessarily worry about revenue as you can remotely monitor the sales(calls) on a real time basis because the call logs display calls(and costs) as they occur. The model can therefore be replicated by having you the business owner setting up agents who also get access to your system. I believe this is the model that http://www.mafudian.co.uk a Ugandan VOIP company is promoting.
SUMMARISING AND THE FINAL WORD
First the numbers
On the basis of my analysis:
* Capital investment(internet and VOIP equipment) (A): Shs 20,383,275
* Revenue per year: Shs 79,404,000
* Profit per year (after all expenses (B) is Shs 11,940,300
* Return on capital(years to get capital back)(A/B) is 1.71 years
Now the basics you must get right before investing.
* Internet stability and reliability. Get a good ISP who supports VOIP
* Diversification of services. Don't only do the VOIP services, consider an internet cafe, multipurpose machine, WIFI hot spots or even selling cell phones and related accessories.
* Location, Location, Location. This business best thrives in an urban setting with heavy traffic particularly of business users.
* Get an IT person, VOIP can be tricky to continuously configure.
FINAL WORD, YES OR NO?
This is not an easy sector to invest in with internet stability as well as the fierce competition with local telecom companies who now offer some good international calling bundles. Furthermore the exchange rates are continually changing due to the falling shilling hence potentially eating into the profit. I know many VOIP businesses that have failed and so to invest in it you need to have not only technology know how but like looking at the financial numbers as the margins can be very tight! A business which has taken off can however enjoy a significant amount of turnover and diversifying and expansion through franchising seem to hold the key to success.
As a chartered accountant with over 8 years of audit experience with various clients in Uganda, The Bahamas and currently the United Kingdom I have dealt with several sectors including banking and financial services, manufacturing, public sector/Donor funds, entertainment and Agriculture which has given me the inside knowledge of several businesses and their performance.
These writings are my observations and research on investing/ doing business in various sectors in Uganda. You can read more about me and the series at my website: http://investinginuganda.yolasite.com/the-sector-analysis.php

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What kind of Internet connection is suitable for VOIP?

Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) phone systems are becoming more and more spread. Attach the phone voice traffic over your Internet connection, rather than a dedicated wireline send. They offer advantages clearcut old old-fashioned cable connections: lower costs, better audio quality, more feature rich service as are common.
But many people have found out that not all high-speed Internet connections are the same. The most available Internet connections at this time fall into four groups:
DialupDSLCableFiber optics
VOIP phones use approximately 80 KB/s in each direction when a call is active. You use almost no bandwidth when they are idle. So, the first consideration for any VOIP system is the full range available. In a typical small office where no more than 5 phones always in use are at once, the required bandwidth would be up to 400 KB / s and 400 KB / s down.
But this may be not your only concern; You can also have computers to use the same Internet connection for Web surfing and e-Mail traffic. Computer traffic bandwidth varies from next to nothing to display a Web page very high download software, music or videos. And by sending an email with a large attached photo available bandwidth to almost zero.
When that happens, phone is very jerky movement, displayed with outbreaks of silence under the words.
So, no matter what type of Internet connection you have, you need to can restrict the bandwidth, the computer draw. This means that some sort of rate limiting switch between your Internet connection and the computer at work is to be connected. (VOIP phones have not so limited because they no matter draw which does not exceed 80 KB / s.)
With VOIP-installations the preferred connection would fiber, with a typical range of 10-20 MB / s direction in the following-up and down. The computers on 2 MB limit and they will hardly notice.
The second best type of connection is usually cable, where bandwidth 10 MB / s down and 2 MB / s up together. The computer on the line should be on 2 MB down and 500 kb to limited. Again, they'll find hardly any reduction.
DSL connections get very risky. DSL providers often use DSL modems that contain a system called SIP ALG (application level gateway) (by default). The implementation of the SIP ALG has been very badly done, and may often cause problems with VOIP telephones. Typical problems range from no connectivity to intermittierenden call drops and a variety of other systems. There is a list of modems with this problem on http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/view/Routers+SIP+ALG. If these modems one and see no problems with your VOIP service, call your DSL provider and ask for, that they SIP ALG. disable
DSL connections suffer from bandwidth problems because they are usually asymmetric (sold as ADSL). These connections can up to 2 MB / s download speeds, but only 500 KB / s or even 256 KB / s upload to have. If you had to pay attention earlier in this article, you can see that is a link for 256 K only 3 simultaneous calls IF NO TRAFFIC is used by computers ON THE LINE supported is.
The bottom line: If you're thinking of installing VOIP and an ADSL connection, check everything out thoroughly, before any commitment.
Finally, there are dialup. Dial-up connections provide no more than 40 KB / s in each direction. A Word, they are not suitable for VOIP calls.
The moral of this story is this: If you problems with your VOIP system, first a look at your Internet connection. It is a rather perpetrators as your phone system or your VOIP provider. If you are considering only a move to VOIP, you get all the facts on your Internet connection before you call of even a VOIP provider.
William is Marketing Director for Business Phones.US, a provider of VOIP systems for small and medium-sized enterprises. For more information, visit his website at http://business-phones.us/. You can reach him via e-Mail at support@business-phones.us or by phone 1-866-553-3833. We welcome your questions about VOIP installations.
Business Phones.US is a division of Xantek, Inc., based in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.

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VoIP Phone Systems Features: For Over 25 Users

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VoIP phone systems are the most practical and cost-effective investments for large offices - any office that has over 25 users on and off-site. Below is a brief guide to help determine the selection of VoIP phone systems for large businesses - five items to consider prior to making a purchase.

On or Off-Premises?

The first item to consider is where the VoIP phone systems will be located for large businesses - should they be hosted or on-site? Hosted VoIP phone systems are hosted by the company's Internet Service Provider (ISP), and are dependent upon external forces for quality control and maintenance (more on that below). On-site VoIP is hosted 'in-house' - meaning that the locus of control is placed on the business. Quality and maintenance control can be important for large businesses - so those with over 25 employees (including contractors and consultants) may wish to invest in VoIP services on their own premises.

Consider Employee Needs

Ask employees what would make life easier for their calling and communication needs - and get a general picture of how the employees wish to use the system. The sales team may wish to have FMFM (Find-Me-Follow-Me) capabilities for communicating on the road, while customer service and support may wish to have advanced conferencing capabilities when working with customers and other departments. Generate a list of wants and needs in order to be prepared to pick the best features VoIP phone systems can offer.

Consider Integration of Systems

Enterprise Resource Management, Business Continuity Planning, and Customer Relationship Management are three areas where VoIP can successfully integrate systems in order to increase efficiency and cost-savings. Decide ahead of time how they should be integrated with VoIP in order to get the most accurate quotes and pricing in order to make a final decision.

Who will do the maintenance?

This ties in directly with deciding whether or not the VoIP service should be on or off-site - because maintenance and repair costs with an outside source can be more expensive than having an on-site employee regularly paid to keep the service in place and at top-quality.

ThinkCompatibility

Compatibility ties into integration of business systems - by knowing ahead of time what functions will need to be integrated into the VoIP phone system, the company will be prepared to detail the needs to the vendor, thereby getting the most accurate quote the first time, and no surprises.

When choosing VoIP phone systems for large offices, it's important to keep these five items in mind prior to selection. While the systems may be similar, they do not all carry the features and services a large business will need. Planning prior to purchasing can make the investment into a VoIP system well worth the time spent in future cost-savings.

I suggest you take the time to visit the website of Steve Mike levy at: http://www.voipphonesystemsfinder.com/ and learn more about the changing world of Business Phone Systems.

If your looking to purchase an Office Phone System you may also receive access to instant price quotes at: http://www.VoipPhonesystemsfinder.com/choosing_voip_system.php

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VoIP - trendsetter in mobility

Standard PSTN phones used for personal, commercial and industrial purposes are slowly by VoIP or voice over Internet Protocol network replaced and will create a niche for himself at the same time. Due to globalisation find people and businesses more cost-effective communications solutions. VoIP will start as android, Ios_base::OpenMode VoIP services for mobile technology platform on their mobile phones more popular. With the help of the SIP clients, the signaling protocol that is used for voice and video communication sessions over the Internet mobile devices can be converted to a VoIP phone. VoIP technology guarantees a completely new experience of functionality for the mobile market to offer. Mobile VoIP is all set, merge to a major role in various industrial sectors.
With the advancement in technology, majority of wireless operators try to make VoIP consumers available for mobile options. Because VoIP has been a reliable technology for communication, many industries around the world, try mobile make existing VoIP networks. Two factors play important role in VoIP. Firstly involves integration of SIP client software with existing hardware and the second applies to the existing platforms open will call for dual mode, which are in turn required for a change from the standard mobile networks to IP-based networks.
Broadband capabilities and other features that are offered by every conventional telecommunication system, VoIP offering not only the same but has become a hot election in the near future. Which enable applications such as Skype and Fring, works for most phones free or low-cost international call as the iPhone, Android of based phones, BlackBerry and the same on Wi-Fi enabled devices can be used as iPod touch. The technology changes at a very fast pace, VoIP providers and app development company come with applications that line of iPad, BlackBerry would be compatible with tablets or Android tablets.
VoIP is always a whole fury and with the introduction of 3 G and 4 G devices mobile VoIP is expected to more than 120 million subscribers in 2012 and over 350 million subscribers by 2013 to reach. This massive usage is by many researchers in the various reports discussed on the next generation of the mobile market forecast. By the year 2019, it is expected that more than 70% of calls via mobile via VoIP networks. You can make that VoIP is to ensure the technology platforms on mobility.

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Tips for choosing a hosted telephony provider

It is important to determine the flexibility and range of services that a provider offers. If a company does not provide all the services you need, make a less stressful and less time consuming process of conversion. It is also useful with a single provider concerned, such as the administrative costs of dealing with several soon to can provide.
It is important to ensure that a stable business operates your potential suppliers. In an emerging market, there are many companies who condemned to fail due to lack of expertise in the industry, so sure to do your research.
Some companies are funded by venture capitalists and intends to sell the business as a significant profit. Necessarily mean if a company changes hands, is also the way in which it is running, could mean the unwanted changes to your service and a potential increase in the cost. To avoid this situation need a reliable and proven to instruct the provider.
The right provider will make your transition to IP telephony as easy as possible. If problems arise, you must be sure that your provider has the necessary backup resources.
The point of a hosted VoIP system is that it completely cut off site, spend IT managed is. So if possible, it is always advisable, the team for the management of your system responsible. If you in your Office, would trust then why allow them with such a fundamental part of your company do?
Although VoIP services telephone costs can reduce, the best choice is rarely the cheapest service. Should your chosen provider are themselves unreliable, then money you have saved, takes the cost of a change by choosing a cheaper provider. You should receive official documentation on pricing structures before the setting up of the system and the fees and charges should be documented clearly and transparently.
As with any service, no matter how well the provider there a chance that unforeseen problems interrupt your service through no fault of you or your contractor. You must check for this reason that the provider clearly in around the clock support services has invested. You should treat immediately the ability to inconvenience for your company have. If you questions about targets and customer support policies.
Follow these guidelines and you should consult a reliable and cost effective hosted VoIP provider.
Article written by Mark Palmer, pioneer in hosted IP telephony (VoIP) online marketing manager at trade mail - UK services business, offers a wide range of secure, integrated, and cost-effective managed cloud solutions.

To learn more about hosted VoIP, please visit http://www.intechnology.co.uk/

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VoIP phone systems: Reliable, flexible, cost effective and feature rich

VoIP or voice over Internet Protocol, has overtaken clunky old analog systems. With VoIP phone systems, you have all the advantages of the analogue service without the disadvantages. We have a look at how to compare.
Flexibility
Perhaps, the first thing you'll notice about these phone systems is their flexibility. With traditional analog systems, you have an appointment with the telephone company, and they have to come and set up, relatively steady with an expensive, difficult to maintain system.
With VoIP phone systems you have neither of these issues. Although it will select you to an initial installation of the technological support for the company, you're pretty much good to go on your own you have the initial installation to complete. You can most of the changes, including adding additional options, features, or user through an easy to use Web interface, no additional technical support required handle.
Tons of features, free of charge
Analogue telephone services will tell you that that definition, but that is not really true you. Although they offer the most features of IP phone systems, you will be charged, for them by the service. With VoIP, numbers you (forwarding, voicemail, you call functions such as call waiting, caller ID, etc.) are your monthly service fee, and most of the features at no additional cost.
Better call quality
Again, the most analog telephone services will tell you that VoIP sound quality analog is inferior quality, but again, this is not true. In fact, since VoIP from their infancy stepped out and now a mainstream service is, it is almost as reliable as analog telephone services, with much better sound quality. Because converted to analog signals to digital, you get faster clean transmission of signals, which better sound quality for Sie--also for long distance or overseas calls.
She will not charge for IP phone systems in long-distance, either
You already received many great features free of charge on your monthly fee, but these systems telephone will pay no extra for the most long distance calls, either. Domestic long distance calls are included; almost always in company telephone IP plans While you probably a little bit for long distance calls will pay in other countries, the costs are much less expensive when compared to conventional analogue services.
Reliability
Reliability is perhaps the only area in which trumped analogue telephone services VoIP services. If high speed Internet was in its infancy, it in fact have a problem reliability compared to traditional analogue services.
Fast forward 10 years, though, and that is a disadvantage quickly disappear. As well as it established a while analog services lasted, so that she was almost fool-proof, so he also has some time for VoIP telephone systems, which reach the same milestone being implemented. These days, but you would be hard pressed to most unreliable call VoIP service. In most cases, it is only as reliable (and perhaps even more reliable for certain calls which, as in foreign calls) is like analog service, without the disadvantages.
I suggest that you take the time to visit the website of Steve Mike levy on http://www.businessphonesystemsfinder.com/ and find out more about the work environment of business telephone systems.

If you buy access to instant price quotes to get you looking for a VoIP phone system can:
http://www.BusinessPhoneSystemsfinder.com/voip_systems_business_office.php

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VoIP Phone Service - Choice for Intelligent Phone Users

Nowadays the technology is spreading across the world with wide steps. No one can imagine his life without cell phone, computer, Internet, cyber cash, e-shops and other gadgetry. Each user is looking for a service that will simplify his life, bring new features and help him to save money.
According to the CTIA (the wireless industry's trade group) the average cell-phone user among the U.S. subscribers spends about $600 a year on a mobile service, monthly paying 47.21 to his provider. And this is the modest package he is buying, because if he wants additional features, possibilities, then it is extra-cost options. The more advanced you want to be, the more money you pay.
A few years ago the cellphone was used mostly for talking; people were just paying to be able to communicate. At the present time the phones are much more powerful and they serve to all-purposes, having enormous options and this spoils us. We can get more irritated than a grizzly bear if the speed of mobile Internet drops down below 1 megabit per second.
The human nature dictates us that in order to be successful you need to find different ways to save the money on things you really want. The potential savings on long distance calls, and calls in general was the moving force to migrate to the new technology called VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). By using VoIP the cost of long-distance calls has dropped in recent years, and other factors have come to the forefront as benefits of this new convenient technology.
Shrewd VoIP user
To become a VoIP user there is no need to be able to describe the fundamentals of VoIP and identify the challenges and solutions regarding its implementations. A smart user will search for a reliable, affordable and valid VoIP service.
Why the reliability and availability are important ingredients of such serious matter?
Reliability is a measure of how sustained a network can be, with other words how your measurement of it is consistent.
Availability is the value of how accessible the system of connection can be to its users. When a user wants to make a call the network should be accessible for him at any time the call is required. Data network delay is unacceptable for VoIP users. No one would like to wait even few minutes in order to make a call. Any failures should be prevented before they happen.
Why the person who had switched from the traditional phone service to VoIP can be considered intelligent? The explanation is simple: the intelligent person has the ability to think, understand, plan, deduce and learn things quickly as well. Finding out about VoIP service, thinking about its benefits, understanding that this is the way to save money on phone bills, deducing why it is better than other, learning quickly that with VoIP you can develop your business you so become a VoIP user.
Be at the top of the progress, talk hours with your friends, clients, relatives, and don't think about bills at the end of the month. It stands to reason that VoIP technology has many advantages, become an acute user and start using new technology which will open all the doors to a successful progress - VoIP.
Axvoice offers VoIP service that will meet all your desires. Each customer will find the calling plan that will do the best. With Axvoice the world will be in your reach, find out more about the phone service that not just works but it is at your heart's content.
Axvoice is one of the premium VoIP providers, with an ever growing, happy and satisfied customer base. Axvoice always puts the customer preferences first and is renowned for delivering high quality VoIP service.

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Such as VoIP, your company benefits

If you have a business, business VoIP service can have significant benefits for you. IP phones for companies are low-cost, flexible and reliable.
It is less expensive than similar fixed-line service.
Past, the times, if you had to put up with are endless "nickeled and dimed" by your telephone service. While traditional analogue services typically for each function free of charge (voicemail, caller ID, call waiting) and you are already paying for long-distance services in addition to the monthly fee, none of this has this service. If you use those services, you pay a monthly fee, and that's it. Most of the other features and services are to include any additional costs, including voicemail features, caller ID, call waiting and call forwarding. You can pay either of your monthly fee, usually not extra calls or use (including long-distance services).
The sound quality is actually better.
While analog (traditional land line) services would have you think otherwise, the sound quality with business VoIP service is in fact generally better than analog services. This is because VoIP converts traditional analog signals in a digital format for fast, clear transmission, in contrast to traditional fixed-line services, which still use analog sound signals.
It is flexible.
With business VoIP service you can add or change functions "on" the fly, almost immediately. Most of these services use Internet interface features, you can add or change features themselves. This is in contrast to traditional fixed-line service, where you add the features of the phone company and may have come a service tech and you change your Setup questions or add other adjustments to these features. Although usually you must set up a first meeting with a technical professional when you first install IP phones for companies, you can add, change or extend the capabilities of most itself through your Internet interface without additional technical assistance.
You have to type your analog phone.
Although some people think that when you sign up for business VoIP service, you have to give up your analog phone system, is not true. With IP based telephones for business, you can your analog telephones (traditional landline phones) when you sign up for VoIP service. Your phone system is simply connected via a router so that you can use your Internet service for your phone.
You can forward calls to your mobile phone so that you can use calls if you are traveling.
You can call often with traditional fixed-line services, also, but it will cost you a pretty penny. Most service providers offer call-forwarding without additional cost to you. This will allow you, out of the Office are, if you must, but take calls as if you were connected to your telephone.
In short, you can have all your traditional analog service offers, but much cheaper and with what's generally much better sound quality,. Best of all, can the flexibility to expand your services, while your business grow without the headaches to go through complicated setup. These systems offer functionality and flexibility, at a fraction of the cost, the traditional systems do.
I suggest that you take the time to visit the website of Steve Mike levy on http://www.voipphonesystemsfinder.com/ and find out more about the work environment of VoIP telephone systems.
If you looking to buy a VoIP phone system may also get access to instant price quotes: http://www.voipphonesystemsfinder.com/choosing_voip_system.php

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The Evolution of PBX System

The PBX (Private Branch Exchange) telephone system has had a fascinating history starting from the early telephone switchboard operator to today's sophisticated digital Internet PBX. Several innovations continue to take place and telephone systems are becoming more and more technologically advanced with new features being added all the time. Today, subscribers are making calls, sending and receiving voicemails, emails and faxes with their phones and over the Internet.The entire telephone system revolution started many decades back in a primitive way with operators connecting callers to various extensions using switchboards and cords. The term PBX system meant a range of devices with differing capabilities. PBX system refers essentially to a business telephone system involving multiple lines that is able to connect both internally, between extensions, and to an external public telecoms network.
The primary purpose of a PBX is to route incoming calls to the appropriate extension within the office and to share a group of phone or trunk lines between extensions. Although the basic guiding principle behind the operation of a PBX system has remained much the same, the technologies behind the systems have evolved tremendously over the years - reducing operating costs and simplifying the operational process.
There was initial hesitancy on the part of business community to accept the PBX systems despite the operational efficiency and cost and time savings they provided. In the 1990s PBX manufacturers started adding flexibility to their systems which allowed expanding them simply by adding ports and card instead of starting over with a new system. This infused fresh hope and confidence in the minds of the business owners and PBXs became more acceptable.
The concept of PABX (Private Automatic Branch Exchange) came into being in the 1960s. The PABX facilitated employees of an organization to make calls to one another within the same premises or get connected to an external line without the need to go through a receptionist. The PABX system also eliminated the need for a large amount of phone lines.
The term PBX has now become synonymous with Electronic Private Automated Branch Exchange (EPABX) and Private Automated Branch Exchange. PBX can handle many phone lines into or out of a particular location and is similar to a central office exchange - though much smaller and privately owned. Advanced PBX systems can facilitate both voice lines and data lines, route calls to other offices and to the public telephone network.
Over time, PBXs have become lot more refined and sophisticated. Many facilities and functions have been added to create a centralized communication hub. EPABX provide the ability to process digitized signals such as those involved in data transfer via the internet. This convergence of voice, messaging and data enables individuals and companies to improve their overall efficiency and reduce costs while helping businesses to increase productivity.
Modern day internet PBX uses remarkably efficient software and hardware that work smoothly without the assistance of full-time technicians. You can save further on costs if you opt for a hosted PBX service - in which case, you need not have to worry about ongoing maintenance or obsolescence.
The journey from switchboard operators to today's sophisticated internet PBX has been incredible. But, technological marvels continue to take place and now a new crop of IP PBX systems is entering the market packed with similar or enhanced features at much less cost. In fact, these new communication servers can reside on your computer processor running low cost operating systems.
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Why your business should switch to VoIP

It is interesting that while many companies to use new technologies, recognize only a few of them it is a part of their company, the veraltet-- could be considered the phone. Companies that deal with some rarely surrounded think on most high-tech equipment of telephone landline service to the more efficient voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) switch.
VoIP was first used in the consumer market in 2004, but many companies were reluctant from the fixed-line change to the new services. Part of it was due to inefficient technology that VoIP is first used. There were frequent dropped calls and poor connections. However technology quickly caught up, user requirements and VoIP was more refined and infinitely stable.
Companies can currently one of the most important features of VoIP-take advantage of integration. The current state of the art provides an access point, telephone calls, fax calls, to handle e-Mail, Web surfing, video conferencing and even telecommuting. In addition many Smartphones have dual-mode capability, currently which means that a person outside of the workspace on the mobile phone can be and automatically to VoIP will change it, if the individual to the workspace-returns without loss of the call.
Of course, one of the most beneficial aspects of the changeover to VoIP company is cost savings. It is extremely inefficient to operate a fixed line business phone system, if there other options available. For one thing, long-distance calls over VoIP service providers are significantly cheaper than dealing with typical fixed. In addition, far less costly than they otherwise be, if you are using traditional telephone services VoIP services like Skype calls overseas.
Company questions might be, whether or not that VoIP is actually safe. In fact are thanks to simple encryption software that much more secure could be hope all fixed-line VoIP phone calls. Security consists of the encryption on the sending end and authentication on the receiving end - and it all takes place automatically, which require no external support.
A concern that some companies is the ability of VoIP, power outages. When the power on a fixed network connection, telephone calls can be made yet. There are portable, battery-powered devices, the VoIP systems can automatically be associated, if it a power failure. While charge, they provide a level yet to connect with others, in the case of the current fails the units only for about a half hour.
All in all companies to save money and to adopt a new technology that integrates well into their existing systems, change-line VoIP service providers should be.
Tyler Robbins is a tech writer, concentrated themselves on VoIP business technology for companies is to recommend discuss efficient printing solutions.

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VoIP Rides on the Back of the New Generation

The history of new technologies suggests to us that the single greatest obstacle in getting people to use a new system is their love of old habits. Even though the new benefits are explained to them over and over again, there are those who find reasons to hold back and use excuses ranging from "I don't think I really need those benefits" to "It's too complicated." This is not to indict anyone in particular - it's just the way things are and none of us is above thinking like this no matter how progressive we might seem.Over the past few years, VoIP has been gaining traction amongst the populace. First it was only the tech savvy, then those who wanted to save money on international calling got on board and lately there's been a push to move VoIP into the mainstream with Republic Wireless's efforts and the T-Mobile/Warmart deal. Other companies such as vonage make use of VoIP, but package it in the same old POTS mentality so customers think they're using a regular phone system which is actually VoIP in reality.
It might be easy to say that things are fine just the way they are, but a new generation is coming up that is free of the paradigms of the past and will take to the new technologies of VoIP without even knowing that there's anything special about it. Such individuals are brought up on the notions of being able to chat for free and sending SMS messages without paying anything. Talking on the phone using just an Internet connection is merely the next step.
The supporting infrastructure has been keeping pace with such aspirations. Internet speeds have improved drastically and broadband has become more and more ubiquitous. The combined power of new technology along with the requisite enablers create a powerful effect that can't be resisted. VoIP is the future - as indeed are integrated communications. Thanks to the open nature of the Internet, competition is about to get far more intense than it has ever been in the past and this will lead to better service and more innovative and cost effective set ups.
There's little doubt that the Internet is one of the greatest forces of our time. It has transformed the music industry, the publishing industry and now it has its eyes firmly set on traditional PSTN systems. The time of VoIP is just around the corner. Will you be ready for it?
Bhagwad is an expert consultant on Selecting SIP Proxy Servers. He also specializes in Installing VoIP Phones.

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What Do You Expect From an SIP Provider?

The VoIP phone model is both different and similar to that used by the PSTN system. On the one hand, you don't have merely a handful of service providers to choose from. The billing is more transparent and calls which are conducted entirely over the Internet are free. On the other hand, the network model bears many resemblances to the POTS. For example if you're using a hosted PBX system, all you have at your end is the client. The real infrastructure which makes everything work is located at the end of the service provider. Of course, if you have an in-house VoIP system then even the architecture is dramatically different from the traditional telephone service.Whether you're going for an in-house system or a hosted one, the SIP provider is a keystone component of the overall infrastructure. In the case of a hosted PBX, the SIP provider offers a number of services. For one, they give you a telephone number for use with your business and each and every one of the VoIP connections you need to utilize. Bundled with the telephone number, is a service allowing you to connect to any telephone over the traditional the POTS network. Behind the scenes, you'll also obtain what we call an "SIP address". This address is used internally but can also be utilized to make free calls to any other VoIP client with its own SIP address.
Over time we can come to expect that more and more phones will possess this SIP address along with their regular telephone number. Once a critical stage is reached, there will be an avalanche effect with most calls being made and received for free over the Internet. Not surprisingly, this is a threat that most telephone providers are eager to avoid.
Those using an in-house VoIP system on the other hand, are provided with an "SIP trunk" which is merely a connection to the outside world of traditional phone systems. Without this, communication is restricted only to those within the same network - not very useful at all.
All SIP providers should be able to offer basic services like SIP forking. Surprisingly, there are some popular providers who don't do this. SIP forking is one of the most useful of all VoIP services allowing a single number to ring multiple VoIP clients anywhere in the world. Contact your ITSP to find out what VoIP services they provide and what benefits you can obtain from them.
Bhagwad is an expert consultant on Advanced Hosted VoIP Servers. He also specializes in Switching to VoIP Phones.

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