VOIP is not necessarily cheap but the added value it offers is immense

By Walter Madzonga for Wanatel
Cape Town, 12 Aug 2015

Unfortunately for far too long the sales pitch to convert users from the traditional telephone system to an IP-based system was based on making 'cheap' calls. While VOIP calls rates are impressively competitive, the true value of using a VOIP system is immeasurable. The restrictions and limitations that traditional telephony systems placed on the consumer can be likened to a 'puppet on copper strings'. The more flexibility that was required, the more copper was brought in. One call meant one copper line, two meant adding another line and so the trend continued.

"VOIP offers agility, creates flexibility and encourages evolution with one incoming line becoming ten in a matter of minutes," elaborated Walter Madzonga, GM of Wanatel Africa. "Features and functionality such as automatic failovers to cellphone during load-shedding, click to call, call back and voicemail to e-mail are easily accessible with the limitations of the solution often arising from the dearth of ideas emanating from the customers themselves."

"Offices spread across the country or even further afield can be linked to a single solution," continued Madzonga. "Large and small branches have access to the same advanced features and thus, for the first time, customers no longer need to wait to become a giant business to utilise and exploit state-of-the-art telephony solutions as these are scalable in nature and the one for the small user is not a watered-down version."

"Customers no longer need to be restricted by the hardware that they have purchased. Despite their hardware often having the capability to be upgraded, the resultant system improvements are still limited," concluded Madzonga. "However, with the Wanatel Hosted VOIP solution, upgrading is no longer a concern going forward. It is in our best interests to ensure that we offer the best and enable upgrades and improvements to the system as requirements change with users simply reaping the resultant benefits."

Wanatel is a telecommunications company specialising on voice communications.

For further information, please contact Walter Madzonga, GM of Wanatel Africa; tel. 021 2000 4000; e-mail walter@wanatel.net

Wanatel

Wanatel is a licensed IECNS (0308 IECNS/MAR/09 + IECS) telecommunications company operating predominantly in South Africa, but with a number of international clients. It is a privately owned company that was founded in 2007 with the vision of enhancing the voice telecommunications capability in South Africa, using the expertise and experience gained in the European telecommunications market.

As a voice specialist, it focuses on servicing the telecommunication needs of the corporate market. Its research and development provides its clients with innovative and cost-effective solutions on a global scale, while maintaining the highest levels of design, build and deployment. As a trusted advisor to its clients, innovation and agility remain at the core of its business. Although it is large enough to ensure consistent reliability and innovation, its focus remains specialised in order to adapt quickly to specific market requirements. It ensures quality voice and value added services that are uniquely designed for its clients and thus allows them to provide unified communications solutions to their customers.

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VOIP is not necessarily cheap but the added value it offers is immense

It is not necessarily cheap, but offers agility, creates flexibility, and encourages evolution with one incoming line becoming ten in a matter of minutes, says Walter Madzonga, GM of Wanatel Africa.