A little more information on my situation:
I'm considering VoIP only as a selling point. I don't expect to make
much money on the voice service alone. I intend to use it to be able to
up-sell the Internet connection, since many small businesses don't place
much value on their Internet connection.
I have been planning the costs of my network so far using Motorola
Canopy at the network edge. With only 20-30 VoIP calls per sector
supported on a good day, this wouldn't be the best platform if I were
offering voice services. The alternative I've been looking at is
Alvarion's BreezeAccess line, with the VL's new software version being
able to support 40k packets per second if I remember correctly.
Obviously there's a big price difference between these vendors. I won't
be able to start offering service until June 07, so I've got some time
to watch equipment vendors come out with new offerings.
Anyone out there have a similar business model? Do you do your VoIP
in-house or resell another provider's service?
Patrick
Larry Yunker wrote:
Before you talk about VoIP technology/deployment issues, you might
want to address your deployment amechanism. What technology are you
planning to use in order to deploy your broadband? Wireless, I would
assume? If so, what hardware? Choosing the right type of hardware on
the last-mile is critical to making VoIP work.
After you decide on a robust wireless system, you can choose among
many VoIP solutions. VoIP can range from simple POTS-Like services
(dial-tone, caller-id, call-waiting) to full PBX key-system like
services with conference-calling, automated attendant, intra-office
transfer, etc. You can even decide how much of the system you want to
maintain versus how much you want to outsource. With certain open
source VoIP solutions available, you can build your own VoIP server or
at the other extreme, you can simply purchase VoIP SIP-compliant
phones or ATA's and use a completely outsourced gateway. You should
probably consider where you want to be the VAR and where you simply
want to be a reseller. Is the primary "value" of your service going
to be broadband-access or voice-services?
Larry Yunker
Wireless Network Consultant
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
----- Original Message ----- From: "Patrick Shoemaker"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "WISPA General List" <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, June 19, 2006 10:00 AM
Subject: [WISPA] VoIP as a service offering
With last week's discussion on the ability of different product lines
to support simultaneous VoIP calls, I'd like to start a discussion on
VoIP as a service offering. First, a little introduction. I'm in
the planning stages of an ISP. I intend to target small/medium
businesses (no residential) in an area that is served with other
technologies (DSL). I am currently working part time doing IT for a
group of small businesses, and was just about sold on a WISP last
year that offered a voice/data plan as a package that would have
saved money. We ended up not switching after reading about some of
the pending lawsuits against the service provider!
What I am trying to figure out is the best way to offer VoIP services
to my customers. My main selling points on my Internet services will
be reliability, service, and flexibility. And yes, I do intend to
back these up. In the small business sector, it will be much easier
to sell a highly reliable Internet connection to a customer if it's
providing more than just access for lunchtime web browsing.
Integrating voice and data will both save the customer money and
justify the cost of the "dedicated" Internet line.
So, how are the service providers out there doing it now? Acting as
a reseller for a larger VoIP provider? Do you offer customers any
PBX-like features or just dial access? Looking for suggestions,
things to avoid, and a little experience here. Thanks!
Patrick
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