The Skinny on FreeConferenceCall.com

Is the audio service really free? Well, it depends on how you look at it and more importantly that you are aware of what you are actually getting...or not getting. Technically, FreeConferenceCall.com does not charge you anything. You will never get a bill from them. Who actually pays for the calls are the callers you have invited to call your number! Essentially, FreeConferenceCall.com is just free US Toll calling, meaning all callers pay their own long distance charges.

How does FreeConferenceCall.com make money? By "routing" callers to specific local exchange carriers (LEC's) that are charging wireless carriers very high rates to "bridge" the cell calls to landlines. The higher the rate being charged, the more calls routed that way. In exchange for the favorable routing, the expensive local exchange carriers collect huge fees from the carriers and kick back a portion of the profits back to FreeConferenceCall.com Since most conference calls last at least an hour, more and more minutes accrue, while the LEC's rake in money, siphoning dollars from the carriers. Another way FreeConferenceCall.com generates revenue is through their "SIMPLE" audio plans, NOW all clearly listed as 1-800 toll-free numbers and not just US Toll numbers.

What are the costs involved in a FreeConferenceCall™?

Only normal long distance charges by each caller's carrier apply. There will be no bill or charges from FreeConferenceCall.com for this service.

It's also a bit of a pain to have to re-register your account every 120 days to keep your toll number active. If you forget to renew, you lose your number and have to re-register. Also keep in mind that the provided number is a US Toll number and does not support international calls even though their site states:

Can international callers participate?

Anyone who can dial a US telephone number should be able to dial a FreeConferenceCall™ number. (Does sound like much confidence behind that statement.)

Just be aware of what you are getting or not getting and let the callers who call you know that they will be billed long distance charges and what out for the court battle!

Thanks,
David Chao
The Web Conferencing Expert

Genesys Delisted from NASDAQ

Genesys Conferencing announced that its American Depositary Shares (ADS) will discontinue trading on the NASDAQ Global Market.

Mobility Issues for Remote Workers

As companies continue to hire top talent, they also realize the need to allow top talent to work from remote or home office locations. Supporting remote workers is huge challenge that IT organizations are trying to figure out. Many remote workers have individual preferences setup, are not always logged onto the corporate network, or have special security and firewall configurations which make remote support difficult.

What is an IT organization to do to effectively resolve IT issues for remote workers?

Some companies have their remote workers FedEx computers back to the home office. Not only is this expensive but it creates lost productivity hours for the remote workers and potentially missed deadlines. Other companies try to resolve issues over the phone but not all remote workers are tech saavy enough to follow technical instructions over the phone. This method is not only time consuming and inefficient but creates much frustration for both parties.

Solution...

Leverage remote support technologies that are easy to use, cost effective and firewall friendly where the requirement is simply a browser and an internet connection. No dependencies on VPN connections, on the network or not, special setups. WebEx Remote Support, Remote Access or Systems Management all are excellent solutions.

In a recent study by IDC, they forecast that the mobile worker population in the U.S. will reach 113.5 million by 2008, up from 98.5 million only three years ago. Worldwide, it's expected to be closer to 878 million mobile and remote workers by the end of the decade!

Thanks,
David Chao
The Web Conferencing Expert

"Traffic Pumping" on Conference Call Lines

Sprint Nextel Corp. has joined the other telecom companies who have also sued independent phone operators and Internet calling services for alleged “traffic pumping.”

Sprint Nextel’s complaints are virtually identical to filings by AT&T. and Qwest Communications. The carrier said that local exchange companies have been partnering with companies that offer free conference or international calls and adult chat lines.

“Make no mistake—this is not just a billing dispute among phone companies,” said Kent Nakamura, VP of telecom management for Sprint Nextel. He described the situation as “a continued pattern of illegal arbitrage on the part of certain companies—a scheme that attempts to pick our pockets and threatens our customers’ access to unlimited long-distance service.”

Sprint Nextel also said that some operators have within the past year “adopted significantly higher access charges—up to 13 cents per minute—for every minute of every call a Sprint Nextel customer makes to the RLEC’s local calling area. That’s about 26 times the access charges typically charged by other local phone companies.”

This is still a very interesting situation for companies like Citrix since their GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar utilities leverage freeconferencecall.com services, one of the companies that AT&T, Quest, Nextel are going after.

Thanks,
David Chao
The Web Conferenincg Expert

International Opportunities for Web Conferencing

The web conferencing market continues to grow at an accelerated rate. According to Frost & Sullivan, the web conferencing market, which was valued at $725M in 2005, is forecasted to reach almost $3B in 2011, a compound annual growth rate of about 25.9%. (Data Source: Frost & Sullivan) Much of the global market capture will be from Small and Mid-sized Businesses and the international markets.

Competition in the US is becoming more and more competitive and pervasive in every sales opportunity. Web conferencing companies need to focus on product differentiation, verticalized solutions, integrated applications, and an aggressive international strategy coupled with a first-to-market mentality will be key success factors for long-term success.

Web conferencing in China is beginning to emerge as an enabling technology and the web conferencing growth potential is enormous. China represents less than 5% of the World’s Total Web Conferencing Revenue while the USA accounts for about 82%, slightly down from the year before. It is evident that the international marketplace presents both opportunities and challenges for web conferencing companies.