Local number to the world

In the age of electronic and mobile commerce, businesses need ever faster and even cheaper telecom services to reach their markets, and for their markets to reach them.

Vocal, the VoIP (voice-over-internet protocol) service of Pacific Internet Philippines (PI PH), claims to be the first to offer Vocal World Number in the country.

"This feature gives the subscriber a virtual presence in various countries worldwide. It allows his or her foreign customers and counterparts to call the subscriber at their local rates," says PI PH president Jojie S. Yap.

Vocal World Number can program the subscriber’s account to receive "local" calls from any of 400 cities and states. This is quite useful in locations where the business may have many active calling customers. If the business expects heavy usage from several localities, more Vocal World Numbers can be programmed into the same phone, for an additional monthly fee per number.

According to Yap, the quality of VoIP calls has already improved over the years. "The quality is dependent on the broadband connection. Our tests have shown that the voice quality is acceptable, and cost savings are substantial for heavy international and domestic long distance users."

Based on three Vocal plans available, VoIP calls within the free minutes allotted are charged an effective rate of P4 to P7.20 per minute, or about $0.08 to $0.15 per minute. These are less than half of the standard $0.40 per minute international long distance rates charged by telecom companies, when the calls are made from landlines or mobile phones.

Vocal uses conventional telephone handsets, giving subscribers the flexibility to use VoIP without a personal computer. The Vocal handset can be plugged into any broadband line and can be accessed by subscribers from any location. This adaptability is partly because the subscriber’s account number is registered in his phone unit.

"People used to think of VoIP as a novel form of online communication. But the service has evolved and is fast becoming the preferred choice in conducting business communications worldwide. This business-grade service will not only benefit the community, but also help our Filipino businessmen gain enhanced presence in the global market," Yap says.

Because PI PH is affiliated with Pacific Internet Limited, Vocal can offer subscribers free unlimited phone calls to other Vocal network users in Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Australia, India, Malaysia, and China.

With current broadband users estimated at 300,000, the Philippine market is expected to reach two million by 2010. Yap aims to "capture a good share" of this projected growth for PI PH.

The company recently shifted its primary focus toward marketing to businesses, while continuing to provide its retail customers "business-grade service for individuals." As of end-2006, it had about 35,000 subscribers and Yap expects to grow this further with investments in the right technology.

PI PH will establish within the year a wireless broadband infrastructure using WiMax (wireless interoperability for microwave access) to support leased lines, broadband Internet access, and other Internet protocol-based services for corporate clients. WiMax will enable wireless broadband access over greater distances than currently deployed technology.