Business VOIP Solutions | Phone System Reviews

EMW has announced that they are the first, and only, company in the Middle East to snag Avaya’s Service Expert Certification. EMW is the leading provider for Telecommunications, ICT, Project Management and Engineering products and services in the Middle East. Hopefully this will pave the way for many more companies securing this prestigious certification.

How did EMW work at nailing this certification? EMW’s technical staff work on complex projects that often require multi-vendor equipment. This leads to a technical staff that is highly educated in how all this equipment from different vendors interoperates with one another.

EMW is able to take this expertise and come up with new proof of concept technologies. These are then configured, and tested, in-house before they are ever deployed to a customer’s site. These technologies are designed to assist customers in daily operation while producing significant cost savings.

This expertise has led to EMW completing major high profile projects in just about every segment of the local, regional, and global markets. When the economy was on a downturn, EMW maintained steady growth while pinning new customers to their increasing portfolio. Just a few of the companies EMW was able to win over include Abu Dhabi Media Company, Gulf News, Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, and CRA International.

EMW has been in operation in the Middle East since 2003. They have use the United Arab Emirates as a base of global expansion. During the short time EMW has been operating in the Middle East, they have doubled their staff almost every year while having annual revenues hitting the 110% level. These factors make EMW Middle East the fastest growing unit.

EMW is sure to benefit even more with this Avaya certification. The company has already witnessed strong growth, many awards, and large profile client wins. Just how much further will EMW go now that they have some Avaya backing? 2011 could be an even better year for this company.

Videotron, the premier player in Quebec broadband Internet and home television service, has announced that they will soon launch a mobile phone service division. Videotron also holds a sizable percentage of the Quebec’s home phone service contracts.

Videotron’s foray into wireless phones, the first time a major cable company has done so since Rogers 25 years ago, will initiate a direct competition with Bell. Since Bell, the premier phone company in Quebec, is based in Montreal and derives one third of their profits from the province, the competition is bound to be fierce.

Five years ago, the current battlefield was just being prepared when Videotron launched home phone service in Quebec, bundling services to steal hundreds of thousands of customers from Bell. Today, Bell owns about 60% of the home phone contracts in the province, while Videotron holds just over 32%.

Beyond Quebec, the upcoming competition between Videotron and Bell foretells things that are bound to come. As barriers to entry fall, a result of government competition rules and technological advancements, more companies can offer a wider range of services to a wider area of consumers. As supply increases, the players will have to climb over each other to capitalize on existing demand.

The end goal for the telecom players in these competitions is, in their own words, to “own the home.” By bundling the four big services – Internet, Cable, Phone, Mobile – a single company can capture all the revenue of a single household. Bundling all the services also makes it much less likely that a client will switch providers.

Because the service offerings between the existing companies is increasingly similar, home and corporate clients alike can expect these competitions to revolve mostly around price. According to analysts this will apply in Quebec, as it did when Videotron first released its home phone service at a fraction of the cost of Bell, as well as around the country.

“Given the environment that we’re in right now, and the pricing, it would be unbelievable if Vidéotron didn’t come out with the same type of radical price undercutting [as before],” said Brahm Eiley of Convergence Consulting Group Ltd. to the Globe and Mail.

For our part, we will keep an eye on this and other competitions for customers in Quebec and beyond. For customers with questions about new wireless phone service options, please call our offices in Montreal at 514.228.1431. You can also reach us with questions 24 hours a day through our website’s Contact SE Telecom page.

On Wednesday, Google announced the launch of a computer-based phone service, following in the VOIP footsteps of now-competitors such as Skype. The service is currently available in all of the US and parts of Canada.

The innovation Google offers, unlike other “add-on” services from competitors, is that many people already use Google apps (such as mail, maps, and docs) for many of their computer-related tasks. Google’s new voice capabilities, unlike their previous Google Voice offering, will be integrated into Gmail.

The move by Google, though likely designed for convenience, also indicates a larger goal on their part to become the one-stop shop for online communication. Whether people want to chat with their friends, send an email to a group, or make a business call, they can now do them all from one place. Google is fighting companies like Facebook and Microsoft for that distinction.

“It’s about saying, ‘We want to be the window that’s always open,’ “ said Duncan Stewart, an analyst with consulting firm Deloitte to the Globe and Mail. “The point is that Google controls everything the user sees. That’s the long-term goal of Google, to control everything the user has interaction with.”

Google’s new voice service is free for computer-to-phone calls, unlike skype which charges for everything but computer-to-computer calls. However, Google says this will be only the case until at least the end of this year. International calls range from 2 to 20 cents per minute depending on the location.

While the impact to the traditional telecommunications industry of Google’s move are bound to be relatively minor – huge corporations aren’t going to redo their phone infrastructures on this sort of a drop of a hat – the competition between Google and Facebook may just yet be heating up. It will be one worth watching.

Nortel Networks Corp. has sold its global multi-service switch business to Marlin Equity Partners and Samnite Technologies Inc. The sale went through for $39 million. The Globe and Mail reported on the news on Friday.

Nortel reported that it has entered into a “stalking horse” asset sale of its North American, Caribbean, Latin American and Asian multi-service switch business (MSS) with PSP Holding, who is backed by Marlin and Samnite. Nortel will also sell its European, Middle Eastern and African multi-service switch business to the same buyer.

A “stalking horse” sale is an opening bid approved by a bankrupt company, and avoids other interested parties from drastically low-balling a desperate seller. Nortel will file the agreement with bankruptcy court in Delaware in the US.

From the Nortel Site: “[Our] MSS portfolio offers unprecedented revenue and profit potential for service providers and reduced networking costs for enterprises through network consolidation. On a single platform, each Multiservice Switch simultaneously supports several networking technologies… to generate revenues today with flexible evolution options to emerging technologies.”

Nortel filed for bankruptcy protection in January, 2009, and has been auctioning off its business since that time in an effort to pay back debt holders. Other sales went through to Avaya, who is still in the process of integrating parts of the Nortel business.

If you’re interested in learning more about Avaya or Nortel products, such as corporate phone systems or phone hardware, you can visit the main SE Telecom site. You can also contact SE Telecom directly with any questions by calling  (877) 816-8324.

SE Telecom has offices in Toronto, Calgary, British Columbia & Montreal. We serve enterprise clients with telecommunications consulting, infrastructure, hardware, and ongoing service and support. We are dedicated to the communication success of those we work with, and view our clients as long-term partners.

Avaya is either handing out compliant stickers like candy, or companies are realizing a strong need to have this coveted stamp of approval. PAETEC joins in the Avaya compliant crowd with their SIP Trunking technology.

PAETEC is a Fortune 1000 company. They provide data, voice, and Internet solutions to all kinds of businesses. This new Avaya certification is with Avaya’s IP Office 6.0 PBX platform. It should be noted that this is not PAETEC’s first Avaya compliant hardware. PAETEC also has compliant love on the Avaya Aura Communications Manager and the Avaya Aura SIP Enablement Services platforms.

The PAETEC SIP Trunking system, or Session Initiation Protocol for those looking to get all technical, is a big boom to one device handling every bit of data traffic. The SIP system allows data, voice, and Internet communications to happen all over a single high-speed IP network.

There are even more benefits on top of this one miracle device. Quality of Service puts priority to voice signals over data signals. Once all that chatting ends, full bandwidth is goes to data streams. There are also the benefits of free unlimited site-to-site calling within Dynamic IP locations. Best of all, VoIP-to-TDM voice conversions happen all in network. This equals less equipment needed in your datacenter.

PAETEC is also a member of the DevConnect program from Avaya. PAETEC’s platinum status in this program gives them access to the Avaya Test lab. This resource allows PAETEC to submit current, and future, products to Avaya for compatibility testing. All of this equates to hardware that integrates easily into existing infrastructures and reducing deployment time for new applications.

The benefits of PAETEC achieving yet another compliance sticker are substantial. Businesses now have less equipment to deal with, fewer vendors to contact for support, and lower overall IT support costs. This is a business win for everyone, especially that poor IT person running all over with blue cables in their hand.

Google has been busy enhancing the offerings in Gmail. A new free service by the name of Voice in Gmail was has been slowly rolling out to users. This new feature will allow Gmail users to make free local calls to cell phones and landline phones.

Right now, the service works in the U.S. and Canada. Canadians need to have their language settings set to English-US for the feature to appear. Once this setting is in place, the call button appears on the left side of users Gmail screens.

This service will let money conscious users make free phone calls to cell phones and landline phones anywhere in the U.S. and Canada. The key here is that this service is free until the end of this year. Those looking to make calls that go a bit further can use the service as well, but expect to pay varying fees on that call.

Like all Google services, Voice in Gmail also brings in Google Voice. Those users with Google Voice accounts can receive calls to your Google Voice number directly in Gmail. Call quality for this integration will not be as great as landline use, but should be more than adequate to discuss the intricacies of a fine tea house.

Voice in Gmail is not a replacement for Google Voice. These are two distinct services with unique features. They just happen to sound a like. Google Voice will continue the one number for all phone devices. This service has grown since it was released, and only continues to get better. Users might expect a bigger integration of Voice in Gmail with Google Voice.

Voice in Gmail may seem a bit useless when you think of other services like Skype. The big deal here is that this is another free service from Google that comes integrated with a wide range of their existing products. Whether this is enough to take over the Internet telephony marketplace is yet to be seen.

According to a survey published in today’s Globe and Mail, Canadian teleom executives are considering putting an end to unlimited data plans. These plans produce floods of traffic on mobile companies’ networks, but add little to their bottom-line.

The survey, which polled 391 mobile execs around the world, found that 55% thought that tiered pricing (certain charges for different levels of data usage) was the future of service plans in mature markets, while 47% said that unlimited plans were damaging their ability to increase revenue. 48% thought mobile companies would institute new plans within three years.

“Mobile providers are remodeling their pricing strategies to sweat their assets whilst tentatively looking at new product offerings,” said Natasha Good, co-head of the international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer that produced the report. “Usage-based pricing is a logical solution. It will ease current capacity issues by capping demand, contain capital expenditure requirements and potentially increase revenue.”

While this may be true, developing markets are still a different story. Due to the unfamiliarity of users with mobile networks, their data usage capabilities, and the sales appeal of unlimited plans, all-you-can-use plans may remain strong in these market. 78% of the execs in the survey agreed.

The companies looking to change their data usage structures in mature markets also may face the challenge of taking away a right already given to their customers. People have grown accustomed to unlimited data usage, and the first month’s bill with tiered charges may cause individual uproars.

“Questions remain over whether consumers will be easily weaned off flat-rate data tariffs and how long mobile operators can stave off the need for investment in new technologies and infrastructure to maintain quality levels,” Ms. Good said.

On our part, the trend we see is way more data usage, not less. This would lend itself to unlimited plans for nearly every user, not the opposite. Though mobile operators face the start reality of profit-maximization, there has to be some point in which inconveniencing customers is bad business.