CallingPlaces’ VoIP-based callshop solutions are attractive to customers for their low entry cost (no need for significant additional investment) and great flexibility. Internet café/callshop owners can offer users prepaid and/or postpaid calling, as well as issue their own calling cards.
Who is it for?
- Callshops currently working with old circuit switch technologies who are aiming to reduce their costs and upgrade their systems
- Internet cafés looking to increase their range of services and bring in more customers
- International universities where students frequently call home/abroad
- ITSPs/carriers interested in providing outsourced/hosted services for Internet cafes/callshops
How does it work?
The main revenue stream for Internet café/callshop owners comes from calls generated in phone booths or via clients installed on PCs. Here is a step-by-step scenario:
- An Internet café/callshop customer enters a phone booth and places a call by dialing the destination number directly.
- Alternatively, the call can be placed using a softphone client installed on a PC.
- The Billing Platform identifies the phone booth, keeps track of call details, and calculates the corresponding call charges. The software is monitored by the operator via a PC.
- Upon call completion, the operator presents the caller with a bill for the call(s) he/she has made, according to the rates for each country called.
Solution components
The core elements of a VoIP-based callshop solution include:
- A VoIP Gateway that supports RADIUS/AAA (CISCO, Quintum, etc.); this functions as an interface for the originated call from the PSTN (caller’s phone) to the IP network (Internet), and includes an IVR (Interactive Voice Response) server that provides voice prompts describing the account balance and the minutes available for the call
- Billing Software, a real-time billing and customer care platform that keeps track of calls and corresponding charges; redundant system architecture (dual database).
- Compatible end-user hardware (IP telephones, telephone adapters, integrated access devices, PC clients, etc.)
- SIPServer software, a call control software package based on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), and providing a full array of call routing capabilities as well as a solution to the NAT traversal problem
Key Features
CallingPlaces VoIP-based Internet café/callshop solution includes (but is not limited to) the following main features:
- An unlimited number of callshops may be operated using a single installation (callshop chain model)
- Call rates are flexible, and are predefined in the billing software by the Internet cafe/callshop owner
- Compatibility with most existing VoIP carriers (H323 or SIP)
- Instant generation of CDRs per phone booth
- Instant invoice generation per phone booth/call
- Analysis tools and report generation by period, traffic/charges, VOIP carrier, destination country/city, revenues, and profitability
- Fully compliant with the Visa security standard
