Orion launches LCR for SMEs

Johannesburg, 23 Mar 2004

Orion Telecom, which - along with other telecom players - recently went up against Telkom in a court case about the legalities of least-cost routing (LCR), is set to cash in on the service.

The company has introduced a new product, CallSaver, aimed at the small to medium enterprise (SME) market, which up until now has not really been a focus area for organisations like Orion, that provide an LCR service.

LCR, which occurs when a telephone call to a cellular destination is intercepted and routed via the most cost-effective network, has saved R240 million for Orion`s corporate clients in the last year alone.

"It has been widely acknowledged that SME companies are the engine-room of SA`s economy, and telecommunications plays a core role in enabling such companies to do business effectively," says Jacques du Toit, sales and marketing director at Orion.

"By providing a service that can save these organisations thousands of rands, we are lessening the cost of commerce for the SME market, and potentially providing them with the opportunity to use their saving to reinvest in their businesses and further spur growth and economic development."

He says that previously, the exorbitant costs associated with sophisticated PABXs meant that SME clients generally had to settle for less functional hardware, resulting in the PABX not having the intelligence to support LCR.

"However, because CallSaver bypasses the need for a high-end, it opens the market for LCR services to those that can benefit most from reduced telephony expenditure," says Du Toit.

"Furthermore, because the CallSaver device doesn`t interfere at all with the PABX, there is no need for concern about warranties, nor is there any need for assistance from the PABX vendor. It also shortens the implementation period which ensures immediate savings."

Du Toit says the company believes there is a need for inexpensive telecommunications as a driver for economic growth in this country.

"By using our experience in least-cost routing and other telecoms technologies, we are working to address the business requirements of both large and small organisations," he says.