Free telephone hardware is on offer to for up to 100 small and
startup Staffordshire and West Midland companies willing to
experience a pioneering new 'phone system that's being rolled out
in the region by a Walsall company, prior to a UK-wide launch.
Two years of behind-the-scenes development has already demonstrated
that the simple system is already superior to anything on the
market.
The internet-based system is being introduced this month, in a
huge expansion exercise by Walsall-based IT innovators, Cloud
Net, who say they plan to spread the service across the UK within
two years, bringing "cloud thinking" to telephones, without
the huge over-heads and service provider complications.
Cloud Net say they are the first company in the UK to bring
together the most powerful internet-based
switchboard available, with a whole host of free services that
will save the average business hundreds of pounds in
overheads, with no capital costs, no depreciation and no
maintenance. The company says users will experience levels of
service unheard of up to now.
Entrepreneur David Hill, who's company is based at the Breathing
Space innovation centre at 34 Green Lane, Walsall, says he
wants to initially help startups and small businesses as they are
the sector that will get Britain moving again, but who face
the highest charges for 'phones.
"Unlike others who have tried integrating the public network
with the internet, we have our own network and therefore have
no middlemen to contend with. We are offering phone sysgtems that
run on a high speed internet connection, reliably, simply and
economically. Subscribers can even choose any number they want -
for example, a London number," he said. "Imagine, your office
is in Bilston but you have a London number!
"This is a revolution in business telecoms - a completely free
business system. It gives our subscribers free
quality internet phones, completely free internet based
switchboards, a free portal, free calls on our network and
the monthly charges for lines or channels are dramatically
low. It comes with the most amazing feature set plus
guaranteed quality of service and help on demand. There is no
capital cost to our customers, ever, and it's always up
to date."
IT specialist Cloud Net has spent two years planning the launch
in the West Midlands and says it has solved all the inherent
problems of poor service, poor quality and "crackling phones", by
using third generation hosted VoIP
(Voice over Internet Protocol) and SIP (Session Initiation
Protocol), commonly used for high quality audio and video
conferencing).
"This system is ideal for the small business. The handsets can
be unplugged anytime and taken home, and for those who have
several people working at home, no-one outside will notice the
difference; while workers can simply talk to colleagues free,
with free calls to other network users too," said David Hill, who
is Chairman of Cloud Net.
Cloud Net will charge single users a fee of just £6.50 a
month and low call costs, including a free phone; with
corresponding charges for larger businesses. A business
needing 5 phones will pay only £80 a month saving 40%,
Those committing to spend just £500 a year will get
calls capped at 5p an hour and 20p to UK mobiles.
"We are here to revolutionise the way the UK uses its telephones
and instantly drive down the cost of running businesses. We
have harnessed the power of the internet using the latest
technology," added David Hill.
One company already on the network, Midlands-based Claims Master
Ltd, says Cloud Net has given them an internet-based system
with a "substantial" reduction in costs, while Walsall's charity
Breathing Space says it is enjoying dramatically reduced
operating costs, with quality calls.