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one thing i'm sure of? Honesty is a waste in this type of business.. all the features youa re talking about .. have been offered and tested with customers.. <br>the bottom like .. when a customer buys a 2$ calling card . he expects to make a call and say his words and hangs up .. all those features won't be of use for him for a card that will allow him to talk as much minutes as he can! you abusing "free routes" or not.. is not his business actually.<br>those features can be offered to PINLESS customers who can pay 100-300 $ per account!<br><br><br><br>Tarek Sawah<br><br>Information Technology Adviser<br><br>Integrated Digital Systems<br><br>CCNP, MCSE, RHCE, TELECOM<br><br>USA: +1 386 492 9993<br><br><br><br><div>> Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:03:26 -0400<br>> From: symack@gmail.com<br>> To: asterisk-users@lists.digium.com<br>> Subject: Re: [asterisk-users] No Bull Service Providers<br>> <br>> >>You will notice on the calling card shelves there are only a handful of companies producing lots of different cards.<br>> <br>> I have! That's what led me to CC for starters, then implementing a<br>> more novel "startup" product. But. Regardless of all the corruption,<br>> my goal is to offer something honest "TRUTH, I like that ;)", reliable<br>> and as consistent as possible. We cannot compete against free, but we<br>> can try our best. Again, CC is just an entry point, we can doing this<br>> like:<br>> <br>> speech to text -> Natural Language Processing (NLP) -> text to speech.<br>> Bringing computer science to VoIP. This is our long term..<br>> <br>> I just need to keep the investor happy for now..<br>> <br>> Nick<br>> <br>> <br>> <br>> <br>> On Thu, Sep 29, 2011 at 11:48 AM, Jeff LaCoursiere <jeff@sunfone.com> wrote:<br>> ><br>> ><br>> > On Thu, 29 Sep 2011, Nick Khamis wrote:<br>> ><br>> >> Hello Jeff,<br>> >><br>> >> There will always be fierce competition, we are starting of with<br>> >> prepaid for an obvious source of quick revenue, we will also be<br>> >> rolling out a few more products in the next year.. It seems like they<br>> >> LIE about their LD rates. A company in Australia was<br>> >> charged with this not too long ago. Stolen minutes? Not that I would<br>> >> be interested in stealing! I just want to be educated<br>> >> in such an act.<br>> ><br>> > You will often see discussion on this list about asterisk servers being<br>> > "compromised" and the result being very expensive calls placed until the<br>> > compromise is noticed and shutdown. Those calls are placed by nefarious<br>> > wholesalers that take advantage of the "free" routes they manage to find as<br>> > long as possible. Hard to compete against free!<br>> ><br>> > Other games the calling card companies play - they will release a card with<br>> > unbelievable rates so that it quickly gains market share, then slowly back<br>> > off the minutes offered by the card (without changing the rate sheets of<br>> > course) until it is noticed by the consumers, who stop buying it. Then that<br>> > card is discontinued and another is produced in the same manner. You will<br>> > notice on the calling card shelves there are only a handful of companies<br>> > producing lots of different cards.<br>> ><br>> > There are many more tricks they use to dupe the consumers and stifle<br>> > competition. Hidden or non-disclosed connection rates, "maintenance fees"<br>> > charged every few days to burn off credit on the cards, time restrictions on<br>> > the lower rates, etc. We actually produced a card once we called "TRUTH"<br>> > (which was honest about rates, had no hidden fees, etc) and it sold ok for a<br>> > while, but when the card next to it on the shelf claims twice the minutes<br>> > for the same $$$, eventually they win.<br>> ><br>> > In the end this business doesn't make money unless you are selling millions<br>> > of minutes per month, and even then the margins are slim and you have to<br>> > play the same games to compete. What we thought would be a fairly easy<br>> > business to run became a maintenance nightmare, and a single instance of<br>> > fraud could wipe out months worth of profits.<br>> ><br>> > A2billing didn't exist when we started, so we rolled our own. Seems pretty<br>> > popular now - maybe it would work well for you.<br>> ><br>> > Good luck,<br>> ><br>> > j<br>> ><br>> >><br>> >> Of course we don't have to use the same in/outbound providers. I<br>> >> should have been clearer about that. You mentioned Least Cost<br>> >> Route/Rate (LCR), any reason why you did not use what is already out<br>> >> there? Provided by a2billing etc...? We can also implement something<br>> >> using AGI if needed....<br>> >><br>> >> Nick.<br>> >><br>> >> On Thu, Sep 29, 2011 at 11:21 AM, Jeff LaCoursiere <jeff@sunfone.com><br>> >> wrote:<br>> >>><br>> >>><br>> >>> On Thu, 29 Sep 2011, Nick Khamis wrote:<br>> >>><br>> >>>> I should have mentioned we are interested in international long<br>> >>>> distance. That will<br>> >>>> be a big part of our business.<br>> >>>><br>> >>><br>> >>> It sounds like you are intending to start a calling card company. Good<br>> >>> luck<br>> >>> - the competition is fierce, and you will be competing against companies<br>> >>> that outright lie about the capacity of their cards, and use stolen<br>> >>> minutes<br>> >>> to fulfill them as often as they can.<br>> >>><br>> >>> If you intend to do wholesale by reselling, you don't need to use the<br>> >>> same<br>> >>> company for inbound and outbound. In fact for outbound you will probably<br>> >>> have many upstream providers, as your goal will be to find the cheapest<br>> >>> reliable route in every case. You will need to code something for route<br>> >>> selection (I did this in C/AGI).<br>> >>><br>> >>> For inbound I use IP Comms, which has worked well. Unlimited inbound per<br>> >>> DID, but NOT unlimited channels. For outbound I had arrangements with<br>> >>> STi,<br>> >>> Voipjet, and many others for smaller route sets. I also participated in<br>> >>> the<br>> >>> wholesale market at Arbinet, who just got bought out by someone...<br>> >>><br>> >>> Cheers,<br>> >>><br>> >>> j<br>> >>><br>> >>>><br>> >>>> On Thu, Sep 29, 2011 at 11:12 AM, Danny Nicholas <danny@debsinc.com><br>> >>>> wrote:<br>> >>>>><br>> >>>>> They aren't everywhere, but we have had good experience with Voicepulse<br>> >>>>> and<br>> >>>>> their rate is typically less than $0.015 per minute.<br>> >>>>><br>> >>>>> -----Original Message-----<br>> >>>>> From: asterisk-users-bounces@lists.digium.com<br>> >>>>> [mailto:asterisk-users-bounces@lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of Nick<br>> >>>>> Khamis<br>> >>>>> Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2011 10:09 AM<br>> >>>>> To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion<br>> >>>>> Subject: Re: [asterisk-users] No Bull Service Providers<br>> >>>>><br>> >>>>> Very true... But there should be an equilibrium, the "relaiable<br>> >>>>> service,<br>> >>>>> and<br>> >>>>> aggressive pricing" comes to meet?<br>> >>>>> Guys please share your experiences.<br>> >>>>><br>> >>>>> Cheers,<br>> >>>>><br>> >>>>> Nick<br>> >>>>><br>> >>>>> On Thu, Sep 29, 2011 at 10:58 AM, C. Savinovich<br>> >>>>> <c.savinovich@itntelecom.com> wrote:<br>> >>>>>><br>> >>>>>> In my professional opinion, the phrases "I don't want no Bull service"<br>> >>>>>> and "I want the cheapest service" are total contradictions. Down the<br>> >>>>>> road something is not going to give.<br>> >>>>>><br>> >>>>>><br>> >>>>>><br>> >>>>>> C. Savinovich<br>> >>>>>><br>> >>>>>><br>> >>>>>><br>> >>>>>><br>> >>>>>><br>> >>>>>> On September 29, 2011 at 10:47 AM Danny Nicholas <danny@debsinc.com><br>> >>>>><br>> >>>>> wrote:<br>> >>>>>><br>> >>>>>>> This belongs on the "commercial" list.<br>> >>>>>>><br>> >>>>>>> -----Original Message-----<br>> >>>>>>> From: asterisk-users-bounces@lists.digium.com<br>> >>>>>>> [mailto:asterisk-users-bounces@lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of Nick<br>> >>>>>>> Khamis<br>> >>>>>>> Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2011 9:44 AM<br>> >>>>>>> To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion<br>> >>>>>>> Subject: [asterisk-users] No Bull Service Providers<br>> >>>>>>><br>> >>>>>>> Hello Everyone,<br>> >>>>>>><br>> >>>>>>> We are looking for DID and SIP Termination service providers. Since<br>> >>>>>>> there are so many these days, can you guy mention the BIG players<br>> >>>>>>> that are supplying the rest of the little guy? We are looking for the<br>> >>>>>>> cheapest, and scaleable infrastructure (i.e. unlimited channels for<br>> >>>>>>> DID, and trunks for termintation). To summarize we are looking for<br>> >>>>>>> the major players in the DID and SIP Trunk market, no/limited<br>> >>>>>>> headache. This is for wholesaler service.<br>> >>>>>>><br>> >>>>>>> Thanks in Advance,<br>> >>>>>>><br>> >>>>>>> Nick<br>> >>>>>>><br>> >>>>>>> --<br>> >>>>>>> _____________________________________________________________________<br>> >>>>>>> -- Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by http://www.api-digital.com --<br>> >>>>>>> New to Asterisk? Join us for a live introductory webinar every<br>> >>>>>>> Thurs:<br>> >>>>>>> http://www.asterisk.org/hello<br>> >>>>>>><br>> >>>>>>> asterisk-users mailing list<br>> >>>>>>> To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:<br>> >>>>>>> http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users<br>> >>>>>>><br>> >>>>>>><br>> >>>>>>> --<br>> >>>>>>> _____________________________________________________________________<br>> >>>>>>> -- Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by http://www.api-digital.com --<br>> >>>>>>> New to Asterisk? Join us for a live introductory webinar every Thurs:<br>> >>>>>>> http://www.asterisk.org/hello<br>> >>>>>>><br>> >>>>>>> asterisk-users mailing list<br>> >>>>>>> To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:<br>> >>>>>>> http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users<br>> >>>>>><br>> >>>>>> Christian Savinovich<br>> >>>>>> Telecom & Telephony Consulting<br>> >>>>>> 646.982.3572<br>> >>>>>> c.savinovich@itntelecom.com<br>> >>>>>><br>> >>>>>> --<br>> >>>>>> _____________________________________________________________________<br>> >>>>>> -- Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by http://www.api-digital.com --<br>> >>>>>> New to Asterisk? Join us for a live introductory webinar every Thurs:<br>> >>>>>> http://www.asterisk.org/hello<br>> >>>>>><br>> >>>>>> asterisk-users mailing list<br>> >>>>>> To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:<br>> >>>>>> http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users<br>> >>>>>><br>> >>>>><br>> >>>>> --<br>> >>>>> _____________________________________________________________________<br>> >>>>> -- Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by http://www.api-digital.com --<br>> >>>>> New<br>> >>>>> to<br>> >>>>> Asterisk? Join us for a live introductory webinar every Thurs:<br>> >>>>> http://www.asterisk.org/hello<br>> >>>>><br>> >>>>> asterisk-users mailing list<br>> >>>>> To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:<br>> >>>>> http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users<br>> >>>>><br>> >>>>><br>> >>>>> --<br>> >>>>> _____________________________________________________________________<br>> >>>>> -- Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by http://www.api-digital.com --<br>> >>>>> New to Asterisk? Join us for a live introductory webinar every Thurs:<br>> >>>>> http://www.asterisk.org/hello<br>> >>>>><br>> >>>>> asterisk-users mailing list<br>> >>>>> To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:<br>> >>>>> http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users<br>> >>>>><br>> >>>><br>> >>>> --<br>> >>>> _____________________________________________________________________<br>> >>>> -- Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by http://www.api-digital.com --<br>> >>>> New to Asterisk? Join us for a live introductory webinar every Thurs:<br>> >>>> http://www.asterisk.org/hello<br>> >>>><br>> >>>> asterisk-users mailing list<br>> >>>> To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:<br>> >>>> http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users<br>> >>><br>> >>> --<br>> >>> _____________________________________________________________________<br>> >>> -- Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by http://www.api-digital.com --<br>> >>> New to Asterisk? Join us for a live introductory webinar every Thurs:<br>> >>> http://www.asterisk.org/hello<br>> >>><br>> >>> asterisk-users mailing list<br>> >>> To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:<br>> >>> http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users<br>> >>><br>> >><br>> >> --<br>> >> _____________________________________________________________________<br>> >> -- Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by http://www.api-digital.com --<br>> >> New to Asterisk? Join us for a live introductory webinar every Thurs:<br>> >> http://www.asterisk.org/hello<br>> >><br>> >> asterisk-users mailing list<br>> >> To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:<br>> >> http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users<br>> ><br>> > --<br>> > _____________________________________________________________________<br>> > -- Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by http://www.api-digital.com --<br>> > New to Asterisk? Join us for a live introductory webinar every Thurs:<br>> > http://www.asterisk.org/hello<br>> ><br>> > asterisk-users mailing list<br>> > To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:<br>> > http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users<br>> ><br>> <br>> --<br>> _____________________________________________________________________<br>> -- Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by http://www.api-digital.com --<br>> New to Asterisk? Join us for a live introductory webinar every Thurs:<br>> http://www.asterisk.org/hello<br>> <br>> asterisk-users mailing list<br>> To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:<br>> http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users<br></div> </div></body>
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