By Neal Upton, CEO enChord

There’s a lot of technology out there that can help you run your business more efficiently – if you’re a big business. Most small companies get left out in the cold because they can’t afford the up-front costs or a full-time staff to manage changing technology needs as their business grows.

Considering that the average business spends more than $8,000 each year to purchase, support and maintain EACH computer and $20,000 per year for local, long distance and wireless telephone equipment and service, it’s easy to see why small businesses often have to compromise on the technology they choose and the level of support they maintain.

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Alpha Telecom has replaced its legacy prepaid calling card systems with ECT’s AutoCarrier® softswitch which it now uses as the basis for numerous prepaid services.

London, Munich, Alpha Telecom, the brand leader in the prepaid fixed-line telephony segment in Great Britain and a subsidiary of Tele2 AB, needed to replace its legacy prepaid calling card platform with a high-density, state-of-the-art solution that could accommodate hundreds of E1 lines. After considering an upgrade of their older equipment and reviewing leading prepaid platforms, Alpha chose ECT’s AutoCarrier® Softswitch and Prepaid Services Application. ECT delivered the turnkey solution within several weeks and migrated the complete calling card data from Alpha’s older equipment which was subsequently taken out of service. In addition to the technical advantages of ECT’s solution, business considerations such as its short return on investment and significantly lower maintenance costs played a crucial role in Alpha Telecom’s decision. „By winning over this very important UK provider of prepaid services, we have further solidified our position as Europe’s market leader in this segment,“ says Chris Foxell, President Sales of the European Computer Telecoms Ltd. „By migrating to ECT technology, Alpha Telecom made the right choice. We are proud to be contributing to the continued success of Alpha and the entire Tele2 Group.“

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CALGARY, AB Cybersurf Corp. («Cybersurf») (TSX-V: CY) one of Canada’s leading Internet technology companies, today announced that they have reached a distribution agreement with Staples Business Depot that will see it’s latest product, 3webXS High Speed Cable and DSL Internet, distributed in over 200 Staples Business Depot locations across Canada.

«We are enjoying a very successful relationship with Staples Business Depot in regards to the distribution of our 3webXS dial-up product, and are very excited that they will be the first national Canadian retailer to be distributing our newest product, 3webXS High Speed Cable and DSL Internet,» said Paul Mercia, Cybersurf’s President. Mr. Mercia goes on to note that «due to the desirability of the product and price-point, there has been significant interest by other national retailers, and we will continue to explore all distribution opportunities as they arise.»

Unlike the incumbent Telco and cable Internet Service providers, 3webXS High Speed Cable and DSL Internet Service is truly a National service with availability in: Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Customers can expect real high speed Internet at speeds of up to 5.0 Mbps for as low as $24.95/mo. when bundled with a 3webLD residential long distance calling plan, or $29.95 without.

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By Craig Cooper

Mediacom customers in the Quad-Cities soon will be able to add home telephone service to the television subscription and high-speed Internet services already available from the company.

Mediacom Communications Corporation has signed an agreement with Sprint to enable Mediacom to provide Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, telephone service to 2.7 homes in 23 states.

LeeAnn James, senior manager of government affairs for Mediacom in the Quad-Cities, said the bundling of telecommunications services will potentially save customers money compared to splitting the services between different providers.

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By David Radin

Deceptive advertising has long been misleading consumers by offering free items and money by direct mail (or spam e-mail). Now these deceptive ads are targeting businesses, with a likely result that many companies will be caught, simply because they have multiple clerical personnel handle their documents and vendor relationships.

I just received a check from an Internet company called Simple.Net. It seemed innocuous enough -- a check for $3.25 made out to my company. However, it wasn’t that simple. There was a clause on the endorsement block, stating that «… by deposing this check, I agree to pay a fee for this service, which is only $17.95 per month, preferably billed on my telephone bill, according to the terms 1 through 10, which were enclosed with this check.» The clause goes on to say how you can get a refund by calling a toll- free number within 90 days after depositing the check.

I handle every check that comes into my small company and gets deposited into the company account. And since I know which customers are taking advantage of my consulting services, I recognize the checks. But in many companies, small and large, the people who receive the checks don’t always verify that they come from a real customer before depositing them.

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