Enjoying (or do I mean enduring) East Coast WiFi (anyone remember 14.4K modems?)

Mobile phone International Roaming charges causing you a headache - We've got an app for that: @ http://ping.fm/RILJQ

Contradiction in terms:- skoda superb

505 Directory Enquiries (118) providers - which is the cheapest? See:- http://ping.fm/LimR5

Cheapest 118 Directory Enquiry services - Ofcom call costs announced 31/12/09

Cheapest 118 Directory Enquiry services - Ofcom call costs announced 31/12/09

Since the deregulation of the former 192 service, there have been over 505 applications to host a service from a total possible 999. Some providers have not launched and some have gone out of business.

The full list is available @ http://www.telecom-tariff.co.uk/dialdirq.htm

Incidentally, 999 for the emergency services was in fact the first non-geographic number to be allocated in 1937 but it wasn't available for everyone to ring until 1963. Now there are a whole suite of Non-Geographic Telephone Numbers such as 0800, 0845, 0844, etc and 111 was launched recently in November 2009 for charities

So, without further a do, the results are in and it would appear that the winner happens to be 118214, a service costing just 20p/min. Of course its a little difficult to compare some services as they happen to have different set up costs and in some cases some providers can be up to twice as much as BT.

Awareness of different providers is relatively and advertisng expenditure is always very high to improve awareness. A recent study by the regulating body Ofcom revealed the folowing

1) While spontaneous awareness of DQ providers/numbers has fallen overall, it has increased amongst DQ users. Prompted awareness is unchanged

2) All other DQ providers are mentioned by 10% or less of respondents.
Self reported use of DQ services continues to decline

3) Over nine out of ten consumers only use one DQ number.

4) The Number's 118 118 (41%) and BT's 118 500 (26%) are the two most commonly used DQ providers.

5) Most consumers (62%) are satisfied with their chosen provider. A minority (12%) are dissatisfied.

6) Mobile customers are more satisfied than fixed customers (77% and 62%).

7) BT 118 500 landline users are more satisfied than landline users of The Number's 118 118 (Fixed line: 73% vs 62%)


41% of fixed line DQ users do not know what their chosen DQ provider charges to provide a UK telephone number.

Among those that mention a price, the average is 48p - close to the actual weighted average price of 50p.

Just over a half of UK adults are aware that prices vary between DQ providers, and just over a third that some DQ providers offer different services to others - unchanged since April 2004.

Of the additional services provided, none show growth in self-reported usage but consumers do show more potential interest in future usage of these

The main reasons mentioned for using a particular DQ provider are:

1. advertising recall (24%)
2. ease of remembering the number (17%)
3. perception that the number used was the new BT service (17%)
4. it is the only known service (16%)
5. The service provision itself is a secondary consideration:
6. cheap (3%)
7. the best (4%)
8. accurate (2%)
9. Accuracy of 118 DQ services broadly unchanged

118 numbers are perceived to be more costly per call than 192 (57% fixed line users/44% mobile users), especially in the case of fixed line calls. This is in part driven by a perception amongst consumers of calls to 192 being cheaper than they actually were (perceived cost to call 192 being 30p compared to the actual cost of 40p).

Intelesis launches 0842 and 0843 numbers

Critical times ahead for Mitel? See: http://ping.fm/tMKsZ

Critical Times ahead for Mitel?

Mitel’s long-term future depends on it generating enough cash to cover its debts according to Canalys.

At the end of December, Mitel announced its intention to file for an IPO to generate up to $230 million (€161 million) in cash. This is its second attempt to go public, following an abortive effort in 2006, when it cited challenging stock market conditions as its reason for halting the process. The main objective of the latest IPO attempt is to address its worryingly large level of debt, which it incurred through the acquisition of Inter-Tel for $729 million (€508 million) in 2007. Its balance sheet for its last fiscal year, ending in April 2009, showed that Mitel had debt exceeding $428 million (€299 million), while its cash flow was only $28 million (€20 million). Consequently, the credit rating agency, Moody’s, downgraded Mitel’s status to the third lowest tier, labelled as a substantial risk. If it fails to service its debts appropriately, clauses in the loan agreements will trigger early repayment terms. This will force the Canadian vendor to seek alternative credit sources at less favourable rates due to its poor credit rating, or spin off parts of its business at below market prices, such as the Lake unit and the North American managed services operations.

New and existing customers could be perturbed by its current balance sheet and credit rating issues, especially in light of Nortel’s demise. Customers need assurance of Mitel’s financial viability and to be guaranteed support throughout the lifespan of their investment. Its channel also needs the same assurance of its viability as a long-term technology partner. Without this assurance, which Mitel can potentially get through a successful IPO, it will struggle as businesses increasingly scrutinise their suppliers’ financial position as part of risk assessments. Analysis of its operating results and loss of market share, however, will not make good reading for potential investors. For its latest fiscal year, Mitel reported revenue of $735 million (€513 million), up 6.2% from a year earlier, but this is distorted as the previous fiscal year’s results only include eight and a half months of Inter-Tel activity. It also reported a net income loss of $194 million (€135 million), though this was impacted by a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $285 million (€199 million), some of which was offset by other gains. In terms of telephony call control shipment performance, Mitel has lost share over the last four quarters. In Q3 2009, Canalys estimated its worldwide line shipments declined 27.9% year-on-year, compared with the market average of 17.8%. Its market share also fell from 3.6% to 3.1% in the same period, driven by a strong decline in its main markets in North America.

A successful IPO is vital for Mitel’s future. But this will be challenging, especially with its current credit rating, financial and market position, as well as the general economic conditions. Mitel is not the only vendor in this position. There are still over 50 vendors active in the telephony call control market worldwide, many of which have small market shares. The top five vendors, including Cisco, the combined activities of Avaya and Nortel, NEC, Alcatel-Lucent and Siemens, control nearly 60% of the market, and with Microsoft, IBM and Google emerging, as well as open source vendors gaining momentum, the future of many is uncertain. What is certain is that customers will be carrying out more risk assessments on investments following the events of the last 18 months. Vendors and also the channel, therefore, will have to focus on the strength of their balance sheets and increasingly be open about their financial positions.

.tel's are great! Never have to send a change of address to anyone ever again -just email them the link......

www.intelesis.tel

National Loan Shark Helpline chooses 03 numbers - 0333 555 2222

National Loan Shark Helpline Number is 0333 555 2222

What are 03 numbers?

03 numbers can be used from payphones and mobiles at a rate equivalent to that which the caller pays for 01 & 02 numbers.

• These 03 numbers come with statistics on the location of the caller;
• They can be used for business continuity purposes i.e. if the Loan Shark Helpline telephone lines were to fail for any reason;
03 numbers are normally free from mobile phones where inclusive landline minutes are part of the package which is an increasing number of tariffs in the UK. The same applies for payphones which are currently a minimum of 40p a call;
• 03Numbers offers divert on busy, no answer services when the call is unable to be taken. This has the effect of ensuring no missed calls. It can be coupled with data capture or voicemail type services that are not hosted on the company PBX.
When looking for
03 Numbers, it is important to ensure that you choose the right provider, not one necessarily that offer the cheapest rate, as there is always hidden charges with these providers. What happens for instance if you want to change the underlying number for the position of the
03 numbers? Will the provider charge you an arm and a leg. In short, don’t get caught out; read the small print in the contract.
03 numbers, as opposed to 0845/0870 will be future proofed on their charging structure as they are tied to 01/02 and not a ‘local’/’national’ definition
It is possible for businesses who get in early to choose the best numbers from niche players.
It is easy to set up and can be provided across all types of numbers such your local business number and also to mobiles and international numbers.
03 Numbers can be offered with free call recording on all inbound calls, unlike some other number ranges where it is not possible to do so.

The03 numbers range is likely to overtake 0845 as the fastest growing number as the caller is not charged at the same rate as an 0845 i.e. up to 4p/min. as with client who take their 0845 from BT.

It is also possible to port the numbers between providers in much the same way as you might with 08 type numbers. This way, if the rates that you receive are not sufficiently good enough then its possible to change with minimum fuss. Clearly, all the features of the intelligent network need to be considered before a change is effected but there should be no reason for staying with a poor deal.
All in all we feel that 03 numbers should be adopted more readily as it shows better commitment from organisations towards customer service.

Intelesis is the leading authority on 03 numbers in the UK