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VOIP poised to overthrow PABX

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 13 Nov 2009

Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) is becoming increasingly available to the South African market, with consumers and small business starting to enjoy competitively priced and mature services from Internet service providers.

According to Greg Massel, co-chair of the Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA), VOIP providers are coming to market with a selection of solutions that can allow consumers and businesses to drive down their telecom bills as well as benefit from advanced functionality not available on traditional PABXs, like voice loggers without expensive additional hardware.

Long-term strategy

One of the most prevailing uses of VOIP technology is the movement away from the long-term lease or purchase of traditional PABX technologies, says Massel, adding that firms might outgrow them in a couple of years. VOIP solutions are based on affordable, standards-based software and hardware, he explains.

"If the company needs to provision more lines, it can usually do so with a cheap and simple upgrade or by buying a few more software licences," notes Massel. "It also becomes a simple matter to move people around within one's office or even to move offices since the number is not tied to a physical location."

According to Massel, VOIP operators now have access to geographic number ranges, which means they no longer need to provide the 27 87 prefix to their numbers. As from next year, it's expected the geographic number portability will come into effect, meaning companies will be able to change providers without losing their numbers.

Cheaper solution

VOIP solutions can allow companies to achieve significant cost-savings on outbound voice calls to national, mobile and international numbers, states Massel. Many VOIP providers offer calls to these numbers at lower rates - rates that are likely to fall even further as a result of regulatory interventions in the interconnect environment.

"VOIP solutions are flexible, scalable and cost-effective replacements for legacy switched telephony solutions. The variety and affordability of the services available on the market today from ISPA's members is testimony to how a more deregulated and equitable telecom environment promotes choice and lower costs for SA's telecom users," concludes Massel.

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