500

On the 1st April 2010, Ofcom published proposals which will make it cheaper to call mobile phones from landlines. The consultation proposes slashing mobile termination rates, which are the wholesale charges that operators make to connect calls to each others’ networks. Ofcom last set its termination rates in 2007, and under the new plans, these wholesale rates would fall from around 4.3p per minute today (operator ‘3′ charges 4.6p), to fall to 2.5p next year, 1.5p in 2012/13, 0.9p the next year, and just 0.5p per minute in 2014/15. This would lead to cheaper calls to mobiles for the 32.7 million UK homes and businesses with a landline. Ofcom said it expects fixed-line operators such as BT to pass the saving onto consumers. Mobile phone users will probably not see any benefit, though. These terminations charges will not affect mobile to mobile charges.

The way that consumers use mobile devices has also changed, with the greater take up of smart phones. As well as calls and texts, mobiles as being used to send emails and connect to the internet. Ofcom figures show that the volume of data traffic over mobile networks has increased by 200% over the last year.

The proposals, Ofcom are proposing will also mean that both landline and mobile operators have more flexibility in designing competitive call packages, promoting competition for the benefit of consumers. Today there are many smaller communications providers including mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), VOIP (voice over IP) providers as well as the four mobile operators with national mobile networks (3UK, O2, Vodafone and the merged Orange/T-Mobile).

Lastly according to Ofcom, 2010 will be the year that there will be more calls from mobiles than landlines. Currently, 0800 numbers are free from landlines but charged at 20p per minute from mobile phones. The trend for companies is to move to 03 numbers. Deemed as ‘UK-wide’ numbers they are treated the same as 01 and 02 numbers. These are generally included within the minutes of prepaid plans of the top four mobile operators, though do check with your operator. For example, calls to Jersey, Guernsey, and Isle of Man mobile telephone numbers are chargeable. As there is an increase in mobile usage this can only mean the decline in the use of 0800 numbers.

The Wholesale Mobile Call Termination Review (second Consultation) is available to view.

If you have any questions then call us on 0845 0000 500, or alternatively fill in our Contact Form.

500 Limited are delighted to announce that SA Law, a leading and innovative UK law firm, are now live with their new on-premises IP PBX system.

All 75 users have been fully trained to use their new Aastra 53i and phones and the extensive features of their new IP telephony system.

Legal firms must be able to demonstrate that partners are able to view all faxes – prior to our implementation this would have been a manual, time-consuming and paper-based process. Now though, faxes may be sent, received and viewed via PC: it’s automatic and inexpensive – and simply demonstrated to the regulatory body in real time.

Take the opportunity of building on our recent success and let us know how we can meet your business needs. Call us on 0845 0000 500.

The migration to IP telephony continues. Synergy Research Group has reported, for Q1 2008, that traditional PBX sales are decreasing as IP telephony becomes more attractive to the SMB market.

The worldwide enterprise telephony market is growing 4.0% year-on-year, with the fast growing segments being IP phones (14.8%) and enterprise IP telephony (11.7%).

Many small and medium businesses are realising the benefit of migrating to an IP telephony solution: they are able to consolidate their voice and data networks, consolidate their personnel across many sites and gain a greater competitive presence through the feature-rich functions available through IP telephony.

If you are thinking about migrating your business telephony then please refer to our products and services sections or simply call us on 0845 0000 800.

Smartest IP Phone System Graduates with 4.0

Graduation time is a major milestone in the life of a student, and Zultys Technologies, the premier developer and manufacturer of pure SIP communication solutions, is very pleased today to announce that it has reached a significant milestone of its own.

Zultys, the company that brought the first pure-SIP, standalone communications solution to the marketplace back in 2002, now marks the commencement of a new era of interoperability and productivity with the arrival of MX Software Version 4.0. As the powerful backbone of the award-winning flagship line of Media eXchange (MX) servers - the MX250 and MX30 - this new build offers a feature-rich class of integrated services and opens the door of the Zultys platform to world-class manufacturers such as Polycom and Aastra Telecom.

“We believe this release speaks volumes about the power of the MX systems. It clearly defines our corporate strategy to implement technical developments and innovative engineering to gain mindshare in the SMB space,” said Vladimir Movshovich, VP of Technology, Zultys Technologies.

ZIP 5xi Integration

The pinnacle of v4.0’s improvements is full integration and support of Zultys’ new ZIP 5xi line of advanced SIP-based IP phones and expansion modules. Designed and engineered by Aastra Telecom, the new ZIP 5xi line is the perfect complement to the MX30 and MX250 systems:

• ZIP 51i - 3 Line x 16 Character display, 1 call appearance with transfer capability
• ZIP 53i - 3 Line x 16 Character display, 6 programmable keys, 9 call appearances
• ZIP 55i - 144 x 75 pixel backlit LCD, 6 soft keys & 6 programmable keys, 9 call appearances
• ZIP 57i - 144 x 128 pixel backlit LCD, 30 programmable keys, 12 soft keys, 9 call appearances
• ZIP 57i CT - As per ZIP 57i plus integrated W-DECT cordless handset
• ZIP 536M - Expansion module with 36 programmable keys, LED status indication
• ZIP 560M - Expansion module with 60 programmable keys, LCD based labels, LED status indication

Integrated features include:

• Multiple line/call appearance keys with in-use LED indications
• Comprehensive Busy Lamp Field (BLF) support
• Programmable function keys
• Intuitive, user-centric screen menus
• Full duplex conference quality hands-free operation
• Built-in headset jack
• Multi-key expansion modules available
• Embedded XML browser
• Full GUI-based configuration via MX Administrator
• Supports 802.3af Power over Ethernet (PoE) and AC wall adapter
• Provisioning, Park, Pickup, Page and Busy Lamp Field (BLF) operation

Additional Features and Enhancements

Version 4.0 also offers increased functionality for the remote user. For example, administrators and supervisors now have the ability to assign users from the most remote MX systems to any local group, enabling inbound call centers or operators to offload peak calling volumes or extend work hours across multiple time zones.

Version 4.0 also enhances the integration between its MXIE UI and Microsoft Outlook, enabling increased unified communications based on with this widely used email client. System control can now be shared between the MXIE interface and the phone itself through enhanced DTMF operations. Mac support is expanded to improve interoperability with new Intel-powered Mac clients.

Press release by Zultys, 14/05/08.
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