Hi Bret - OT in that it's not asterisk specific though the application is being delivered on an Asterisk server.
>>>>>>900 numbers arent portable. If a customer disputes the charges, its generally on the service provider to goto collections, which can suck all the remaining profit out. Carriers take a huge percentage of the per minute rate. There are laws regarding the advertising of the number and the first minute of the call, both FCC and FTC. Most mobile phones cant call premium numbers as well. >>>>> I would estimate 95% of all calls will be delivered via mobiles (if that makes a difference to the termination arbitrage charges) as the 'locations' will be in public spaces. >>>>> if they are real people calling for a real service its not arbitrage. Arbitrage is the act of buying and selling at the same time on the same item for a profit. Its more common in the stock market community, where the same thing (future, stock, etc) is sold on 2 different markets at the same time and there is a price difference. Since phone minutes are effectively a commodity it applies there too, but only if the same person buys and sells the same minute at the same time (ie they call themselves). Arbitrage however has a negative connotation now due to the lawsuits, even though in 2004 the FCC ruled that its not illegal. Its generally frowned upon in the industry since it angers people and generally causes problems. True it's not Arbitrage in the true sense of the word BUT when you consider most mobile plans are flat rate (or near enough to it at 1000-2000 minutes a month) so not costing the user anything extra a month but we as the application provider can still get paid - this is a good thing. >>>>>>>>> Does anyone have some preferred vendors they would recommend? My issue is that I'd like each 5 minute interaction to top out at a fixed amount so people participating in the interactions on their mobile don't get 'sticker' shock when they see the bill (which is why I was hoping to fund it on arbitrage long distance calls alone with no premium rate services). >>>>> assuming they have a mobile that can call premium numbers, some states mandate equal access in that regard some dont comment on it, you could. Premium SMS would be a way to fund it on a mobile since in america most cant call premium numbers. You could have a flat rate associated with it if you wanted, either premium number or premium SMS. The SMS can be billed when you send or the call can be per call not per minute. >>>>> Expect the carriers to take more than their fair share of the revenue generated for either premium numbers or SMS. I'm very familiar with premium SMS as I used to represent www.TractionPlatform.com <http://www.tractionplatform.com/> here in the USA but SMS is not suitable as we need real time DTMF interaction for a 1 to 5 minute period. Are there any 900 service providers you would recommend? The fact they are not transferable worries me as this would mean we need to choose carefully upfront as not to get screwed. Any ideas on revenue splits from the various rate plans they may offer? Thanks in advance for your help. Cheers, Dean
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