New laws to tackle rogue phone services

Hallo! Read next and enjoy!

CONSUMERS who are fleeced by rogue operators providing premium-rate text or phone services will be legally entitled to get their money back, writes Michael Brennan.

The Cabinet yesterday approved further technical changes to of the Premium Rate Services Bill, which is expected to be passed into law next year.

Rogue operators will also face fines of up to €250,000 for breaches of the rules, and the potential loss of their licence.

Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Eamon Ryan is due to brief the Oireachtas Communications Committee on the details of the legislation today.

Its chairman, Fianna Fail TD MJ Nolan, said it would give TDs a chance to make certain the proper controls were in place to deal with the substantial rise in the number of premium-rate phone services.

“Some rogue operators have targeted people with cons that have left users with extortionate phone bills,” he said.

Regtel warning on new phone Bill

I want to share this info with you! Leave your comments.

Consumers who have been overcharged or ripped off by premium rate telephone service providers will find it more difficult to seek redress once a new communications Bill become law, the chairman of RegTel has warned.

At the launch of what is expected to be its final report before its functions are transferred to the telecommunications watchdog ComReg, RegTel’s chairman Fred Hayden expressed concern at the manner in which the Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan had introduced the Communications Regulation (Premium Rate Services) Bill 2009.

The Bill proposes an end to self-regulation by the industry, which will in future be subject to supervision by ComReg. It proposes substantial fines for abuses by operators of popular phone services such as ringtones, wallpapers, chatlines, competitions and information services.

“It is the Minister’s prerogative to bring about a reorganisation and legislative changes. But in the process the Minister has failed to listen to the board and staff of RegTel who have direct experience of regulating a difficult sector for the past 15 years,” Mr Hayden said.

He said the new Bill “does not include the power to order refunds in cases of wrongdoing, a power that RegTel now exercises, thereby providing a powerful means of deterring wrongdoing by service providers”.

He accepted that the new legislation – which enters its committee stage next week – includes “powerful sanctions” to deal with unauthorised services but pointed out that they failed to provide any redress for consumers.

Mr Hayden said that in RegTel’s experience, the aggrieved consumer “wants a refund now rather than fines on offenders sometime in the future”.

Under the Bill, premium rate service providers will require a licence. If the specified conditions are not met, the licence can be amended, suspended or revoked by ComReg.

Premium rate phone service generated 76 million text messages in the Republic last year, with mobile phone ring-tones, wallpapers, games and competitions and quizzes amongst the most popular services available.

A number of providers have been accused of taking advantage of vulnerable groups who have spent large sums after inadvertently subscribing to expensive services.

Over the past 10 years, €460,000 in refunds to consumers have been made via RegTel, according to the report. It notes a drop in the number of premium rate phone services delivered, with revenue down about 14 per cent and a drop of 7 per cent in the number of complaints and queries received through Regtel’s helpline.

Subscription services continue to generate most complaints, making up 91 per cent of calls received. In the report, the regulator Pat Breen blamed some of this on a few service providers acting in breach of RegTel’s Code of Practice, but also draws attention to consumer indifference to terms and conditions when signing up for services.

RingCentral Office: Comprehensive Internet-based Phone Services

Today I offer you this article to discuss. Enjoy!

RingCentral Office includes all of the features that have become standard for Internet phone services. They offer numbers in the U.S., Canada and the UK.
RingCentral offers two types of phones. The phone RingCentral provided to me is a Linksys (now owned by Cisco) SPA942. At first glance, it looks much like a modern business phone. But instead of plugging it into a phone jack, one connects it to the Internet using a standard RJ-45 network cable. If you only have one Internet connection, you can plug the phone into your internet connection, and then plug other devices into the phone. I was pleased with the phone. It’s relatively easy to operate, but strangely, it doesn’t support a headset, something I’ve gotten quite used to.

If you would prefer to use your existing phone equipment, RingCentral also offers an ATA adapter which connects the Internet to regular phones. Since most people aren’t technically-minded enough to want to fiddle with ATAs or configuration of phones, RingCentral ships their equipment pre-configured. All I had to do was plug in the power and the ethernet cable, and the phone was online and ready to use. RingCentral tells me that they provide their phones at or below wholesale cost; a little research confirmed that their equipment prices are quite low.

When you or your colleagues are out of the office, you can use the web site and Windows- or Mac-based softphone application to send, receive and manage calls and messages. One of the unusual features of the softphone app is the ability to view incoming calls and reply with a short message like “I’ll call you back in 10 minutes” without actually answering the phone call. There’s also integration with Outlook’s contact list.

For iPhone users, there’s a native application that provides easy access to voicemail (separate from the iPhone’s built-in voicemail) and faxes. You can also use the iPhone app to make calls showing the Caller ID from your business line — without displaying your iPhone’s telephone number. Similar native applications are being developed for other platforms; I gather that the BlackBerry is next on RingCentral’s list. I didn’t test RingCentral’s software, but I’ve gotten positive feedback from others who’ve used it.

Cuban Telephone Company Expands Phone Services

Good news! Read next!

The Cuban Telephone Company, ETECSA, will install some five new facilities that will provide some 4,000 new telephone lines in Las Tunas in 2010.

The Cuban Telephone Company, ETECSA, will install some five new facilities that will provide some 4,000 new telephone lines in Las Tunas in 2010. The new facilities are part of a nationwide project to expand residential phone services in Cuba.

The new project in Las Tunas required the support of several different local entities and people to build the facilities. For example in Jobabo, a trench of some 960 meters had to be excavated to bury the fiber optic cable.

The fiber optic cable is one of the major advantages of these new facilities as it allows for faster and more expansive line installations while using considerable less copper cables.

In Jobabo, the whole community lent a hand to dig and bury the cable in sun and rain. There are many advantages of having the community participate because in addition to saving time and money, the community feels like they are and active part in solving their problems.

Lufthansa to offer in-flight Web, phone service

Some great news about Lufthansa! Hope they will interest you! So read below and leave your comments!

Lufthansa announced plans today for new onboard WiFi and phone services. Starting on routes between the U.S. and Europe in the next few months, the services are expected to be fully implemented by mid-2010, according to The Associated Press.

‘The German carrier’s goal is to leapfrog rivals by allowing passengers on international flights not only to make calls and send emails from 40,000 feet, but also to surf the Web and download videos at faster speeds than currently possible,” The Wall Street Journal writes. “Lufthansa hopes to gain an advantage in the increasingly competitive inflight-communications field by becoming the first carrier to offer high-speed connections optimized for the full range of handheld and Wi-Fi devices.”

Frequent fliers may remember that the German airline attempted to pave the way to in-flight WiFi three years ago, but was forced to end the program due to lack of demand. The program, a satellite-based broadband service–Connexion by Boeing–was pulled in 2006. This new system offered by Japan’s Panasonic Corps., FlyNet, will offer WiFi services through its satellite-based technology.

“Michael Lamberti, a Lufthansa spokesman, said the airline expected the cost of the service to be ‘in the same dimension’ as in the past,” The New York Times writes. The airline’s previous go at in-flight WiFi set passengers back $10 per hour or $27 for the entire duration of the flight. The WSJ reports that in-flight phone calls could cost as much as $3 a minute.

“The connectivity Lufthansa promises to deliver is faster and applies to more devices than options available elsewhere,” the WSJ reports. “Other airlines currently focus on voice and text messaging, with less capability for full-blown Internet access.”

Caller ID available on TV for Suddenlink customers

Here are some news. Hope they will interest you. Waiting for your comments. Enjoy!

Suddenlink’s Enid customers can now receive caller ID on their TV screen.

Suddenlink announced the rollout of its new TV Caller ID service free of charge for customers who must have a minimum combination of Suddenlink Phone and Digital TV services to allow TV Caller ID to work.

The rollout began Monday for customers with the triple-play combination of Suddenlink digital video, phone and high-speed Internet services and will be completed by Oct. 9 for all customers with at least digital video and phone services.

When the phone rings, a banner pops up across the bottom of the TV screen to indicate who is calling. (Customers have the option to turn off this banner, if they don’t want it.)

“TV Caller ID is just another way Suddenlink keeps getting better, providing the latest in innovative products and technology for our customers’ benefit,” said system manager Angela Blair.

Suddenlink is using Integra5’s Converged Services Platform (i5 CSP) to offer the new TV Caller ID service. The i5 CSP helps video providers, video programmers and wireless operators deliver next-generation communications and social media experiences to multiple consumer devices.

Report: Working Moms Spend Big on Wireless Services, But are Less Loyal to One Particular Carrier

Here are some funny news. Found this and decided to show it to you for you could enjoy it too. Read below!

She’s often called the gatekeeper for purchases related to clothing, feeding and making home for a family.

And according to new research, she’s one of the biggest spenders on cellular phone services, too.

Yes, we’re talking about moms: They spend 21 percent more than the average cellular user on their wireless bills monthly and are 42 percent more likely than the average cellular user to download content onto their phones, reveals a new report published by Scarborough Research.

//

The data analysis examined the distinctive consumer patterns and marketing appeal of women who work full-time and have one or more children at home. The free study includes information on their shopping habits, media patterns, demographics and lifestyles.

“Her high spending on cellular services together with her propensity to download content via her cell phone imply that mobile marketing could be an important platform for reaching her with product announcements, offers and other promotions,” said Howard Goldberg, senior vice president of agency services, Scarborough Research.

In targeting the working mom – which accounts for 21.6 million adults — or 11 percent of all cellular users – carriers need to focus on bringing her the most useful content and best possible customer service.

That’s because moms are more likely to utilize features like texting and downloading, according to research, but they are also 14 percent more likely than other cellular users to switch wireless carriers during the next year, according to the report.

RingCentral to Present at the Voice Of Network (VON) Conference and Expo in South Beach, Florida

One more useful article. Read carefully!

SAN MATEO, Calif.-RingCentral, a cloud computing-based business phone services provider, today announced that its VP of Business Development, Jay Blazensky, will present a conference session titled “The Sales Challenge: Marketing Hosted Services in a Recession” at this year’s VON Conference and Expo in South Beach on September 21 at 11:30 AM at Miami Beach Convention Center.

The session will address the challenges and opportunities of marketing cloud based business phone systems at a time when many businesses have limited capital investments budgets. Blazensky will discuss how hosted communications services fit business needs in the current economy, eliminating upfront capex costs, while delivering substantial opex savings.

RingCentral is at the forefront of hosted, communications services, providing cloud computing-based phone systems for small businesses. The company recently introduced RingCentral Office, the industry’s first complete, cloud computing-based business phone system with one low, flat, fixed monthly fee, no contracts and zero setup costs. RingCentral Office combines a hosted multi-extension business phone system with advanced voice and fax functionality, unlimited calling and full-featured phones that arrive pre-configured and ready for use. Small businesses can begin using the RingCentral Office phone system within minutes.

About RingCentral

RingCentral provides cloud computing based phone systems for small business. With top industry honors, including PC Magazine’s Editor’s Choice Award and Small Business Computing’s Excellence in Technology, RingCentral offers full-access to core small business phone services and helps improve productivity for tens of thousands of customers worldwide. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, RingCentral is privately held with backing from Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures and DAG Ventures.

About VON Conference

The VON Conference & Expo will showcase the best of the global IP communications world for service providers and large enterprises. Roundtables, keynotes, panels and Q&A sessions go beyond the pitch to examine the financial, operational, marketing and technological strategies, best practices and solutions for introducing innovative applications and products that resonate with users. With its unique community, and its focus on service providers, VON is the single most trusted source of knowledge and business connections for the advanced IP communications and network convergence industries.

KCC students want out of ‘Dead Zone’

And what do you think of this? Do you agree with the article below? Or you think different? Leave your comments.

ROSCOMMON — Kirtland Community College student Jonathan Webb said he has been in a couple of situations where he has been on campus and needed to call home for a ride.

However, because of limited cell phone access, Webb said he was unable to do so. He believes that an increased ability to send text messages and call family members from campus would be beneficial.

“I’ve never had really good service out here,” said Webb, 20, of Grayling. “I think it would be a good idea.”

That situation may be changing in the months ahead. According to Dennis Mansfield, Kirtland’s director of public relations, the college has leased property to Global Tower Access of Boca Raton, Fla., who has constructed a tower on the property. The college is currently putting some infrastructure in place at the tower, he said.

Mansfield also said the cell tower company has an agreement with CenturyTel to provide cell phone service on the KCC campus, and expects other carriers to follow suit in the future.

“It kind of works out well for everyone,” Mansfield said. “Students now have coverage out here. This will provide coverage for about an eight-mile radius. At least it’s a start. We expect other carriers to rent space.”

He said the term of the lease is for 120 months, and began in March of this year, with Global Tower Access having the option to extend the lease for four successive periods of 60 months (five years) each. The college will receive $1,000 per month with a three percent annual increase, Mansfield said.

Mansfield said the college should have service sometime in September, and also said the college hopes to have some sort of community event this fall in honor of the tower being constructed.

Like Webb, a couple other KCC students believe improved cell phone coverage at the campus would be a good idea, as long as the phones are used wisely.

“It’s definitely a good idea,’ said Josh Robbins, 20, of West Branch. “I think they can be distracting. Some students have used them in class. If it’s used for the right purpose, it’s a great idea.”

KCC student Francesca Infante, 18, of Lovells, currently has AT&T as her cell phone provider, and said she does not get good coverage on campus.

“It really doesn’t affect me that much, because I’m in class,” she said. However, Infante said if she were in an emergency situation, then the lack of coverage would be a problem.

Nine months ago, the KCC Board of Trustees authorized school administrators to look into the possibility of improving its cell phone services. According to a Nov. 25, 2008 KCC press release, the KCC Board of Trustees, at its Nov. 20 meeting, voted to allow Tim Scherer, Kirtland’s director of institutional services, to begin looking into potential lease agreements with cell phone providers.

Kokang clashes hit internet and phone services

Hey! Was just surfing the Internet and have found this! Waht do you think of the text written below? Waiting for your comments.

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Telephone and internet connections were cut off in Kokang during gun battles between the Kokang Army and government troops, said residents and observers. Kokang clashes hit internet and phone services.

“Most internet connections for people in Northern Shan State Special Region (1) are from China. The telephone lines are also from China but some telephones in Ching Shwe Haw are from Burmese service providers. On August 24, internet and telephone connections were cut off,” a military observer on the China border Aung Kyaw Zaw said.

The internet connection is yet to be restored but some of the telephone connections have been restored now, according to residents.

Ethnic Kokang are generally Han Chinese and traditionally closer to China. The educated Kokang usually study in China and have their own websites. Coincidentally these websites became inaccessible as soon as clashes broke out.

Web censoring is rampant in China though surfers do not need to rely on the slow speed Burmese internet service.

A junta announcement said 31 soldiers of the Burmese Army and 11 from among Kokang troops were killed in the gun battles between Kokang and junta troops, which broke out on August 27. According to the Kokang, about 200 people including many civilians were killed.

The junta’s mouthpiece the ‘New Light of Myanmar’ reported that over 30,000 Kokang civilians fled to neighbouring China. Now about half of them have returned to their homes.