- CORPORATIONS IN ASIA COULD REDUCE THEIR INTERNATIONAL CALLING COSTS BY 70 PERCENT EVEN WHEN ROAMING
- SEVERAL ENTERPRISES INCLUDING VIZUALISE LTD SIGN UP FOR THE NEW SERVICE
Singapore, August 2, 2011: Corporations in Asia could reduce the cost of their international calls, even when roaming, by as much as 70 percent* with the launch of Cable&Wireless Worldwide Assistant. The leading provider of mission critical communications, in partnership with Singapore-based Intregen (S) Pte Ltd, has introduced an innovative voice solution, which by using low, fixed price Internet Protocol (IP) networks, enables enterprises to reduce the spiralling costs of their international voice calling.
A pay-as-you-use service, it helps companies cut significant costs by re-routing international voice calls via C&W Worldwide’s secure and resilient MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) instead of fully relying on traditional mobile networks.
Now commercially available for enterprises in Asia Pacific, the Worldwide Assistant allows users to make calls across multiple devices such as PCs and smartphones. Users may download the Worldwide Assistant as a desktop client onto their PC or as an application onto their smartphones or devices. Administrators in companies also have access to a self help portal which allows them to manage user accounts in-house.
Worldwide Assistant is targeted at executives on the move. Allowing users to create customised company directories and manage their contact lists effectively, it is ideal for pre-scheduled audio conferences, calling all participants at the requested time and eliminating the need for multi-country conference call numbers and passwords.
Alex Connors, Head of International Product Management, C&W Worldwide says: “Many corporations are concerned about the rising costs of making international calls, and have implemented policies that restrict employee communications. The C&W Worldwide Assistant gives employees the freedom to communicate with anyone across the globe, while delivering substantial cost savings. This new solution can be easily integrated with the company’s existing communications estate.”
Mike MacMillan, CEO of Vizualize Ltd, a leading technology solutions provider of customer activity monitoring for retail environments, has implemented the Worldwide Assistant service in his organisation. A frequent business traveller, Mr MacMillan says he used to spend as much as €3,000 on calls to Switzerland before using Cable&Wireless Worldwide Assistant. “When I started using this service, I made just as many calls, if not more, from my mobile phone but saved more than 90 percent compared to my previous bill. This service also allows me to do local conference calls across multiple countries without having to pre-arrange them.”
Alexander Chris Lang, founder of co-developer Intregen says: “The trend for an increasingly well-travelled workforce means that companies have additional international telecoms spends to manage. What we provide is a unique cost-efficient voice service that helps give our customers better control and visibility. The Worldwide Assistant is reliable, secure, and a convenient solution.”
Lena NG, Divisional Director, Infocomm and Media Division, IE Singapore, says: “The co-operation between C&W Worldwide and Intregen is an excellent example of a mutually beneficial partnership between an international company and a Singapore-based technology company.”
“This partnership enables Intregen to go into markets in the Asia Pacific region and beyond with an industry leader like Cable&Wireless Worldwide. Likewise, as a key player in the global telecommunications sector, Cable&Wireless Worldwide will be able to use Intregen’s strength and ownership of technology patents to enhance its value added services international clients. In line with International Enterprise Singapore’s (IE Singapore) mission to facilitate the overseas growth of Singapore-based companies, we will continue to support such positive partnerships and assist Singapore companies in looking for viable partnerships that will help develop their businesses globally.”
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Contacts:
Cable&Wireless Worldwide:
Michele Soon
Corporate Affairs Manager – Asia Pacific
+65 9321 3191
michele.soon@cw.com
Pelham Bell Pottinger Asia:
Timothy Weller
Senior Associate
+65 6333 3449
tweller@pbp.asia
NOTES TO EDITORS
- Based on the company’s internal assessment, after comparisons with calls made through a traditional telco network.
About Cable&Wireless Worlwide Assistant
The Cable&Wireless Worldwide Assistant re-routes calls from smartphones and devices and PCs, via a secure and resilient MPLS network instead of fully relying on traditional mobile networks, to reduce the cost of international/roaming calls. All a user needs to do is to send Worldwide Assistant the person’s name, email or contact number via the web or through his/her smartphone/desktop application.
Data packets are sent through the C&W Worldwide next generation network, which initiates the call with both parties via the PSTN. When the user initiates a call through Worldwide Assistant, the caller receives a call back. When this is answered by the calling party, Worldwide Assistant will initiate the international call.
When a user wants to make calls while on roaming overseas, C&W Worldwide Assistant can direct calls back to an alternative number thereby eliminating the inbound roaming charges. This can be achieved in two ways. Firstly, users can buy a local SIM card and setup C&W Worldwide Assistant to direct the inbound leg of the call to another handset containing the local SIM. Secondly, users can direct the inbound call to any local desk phone. Even if the user routes the Worldwide Assistant call through a mobile phone while roaming, the user still saves on international calls as inbound roaming charges cost less than outbound roaming charges.
Calls can also be initiated from your laptops or smart devices using the internet. Only a browser and Internet connection is required to direct the inbound call to any local desk phone.
Conference calls are connected in the same way and can be pre-scheduled between multiple parties. The Worldwide Assistant will call all participants at the requested time, eliminating the need for tedious multi-country conference call numbers and passwords.
Key Features of the Cable&Wireless Worldwide Assistant
- Instant: one-of-a-kind, patented voice solution that easily integrates with existing communications platforms requiring no infrastructural investment and minimal administration.
- End-to-end service: Cable&Wireless Worldwide Assistant creates customised company directories straight from existing staff contact lists and provide customers with 24/7 service.
- Customisable: preference settings are customisable and colleagues have direct access to staff contacts and conference call facilities from their desk top, smart phone or online. Additional contacts can be imported and added based on individual quick dial preferences.
- Easy billing: this is a post paid service that allows for organisations to monitor and manage their telephony spends through consolidated reporting online. A corporate account with centralised billing will itemise monthly bills by caller, location, dates and times to make monitoring easier.
- Integrative: Requires no equipment installation or infrastructure costs and is designed to integrate rather than re-invent. Its zero disruption in setting up means that C&W Worldwide can change the system as communications evolve.
About Cable&Wireless Worldwide
Cable&Wireless Worldwide (LSE: CW.) is one of the world’s leading mission critical communications providers, delivering a range of high quality managed voice, data and Internet Protocol (IP) based services and applications to large multinational companies, governments, carrier customers and resellers across the UK, Asia Pacific, India, Middle East & Africa, Continental Europe and North America.
Reaching 20,500km in length, Cable&Wireless Worldwide owns the UK’s largest fibre network dedicated to business users of telecoms, and provides ubiquitous nationwide access through a combination of fibre, digital, microwave, radio and leased circuits. The network has presence in over 400 towns and cities in the UK, with 804 unbundled exchanges covering 55% of the population.
Internationally, Cable&Wireless Worldwide’s global next-generation network (NGN) stretches to more than 500,000km, including interests in 69 global cable systems, and provides connectivity to 153 countries. The Group’s IP-based Multi-Service Platform, operates across the NGN, offering a single environment on which voice and data applications can be converged to drive business efficiencies. Cable&Wireless Worldwide’s network is uniquely designed with inbuilt resilience and the capability to re-route traffic in the event of failure of one or more paths, particularly at the international level.
With more than 6,200 colleagues globally, Cable&Wireless Worldwide is committed to delivering exceptional customer service and developing long term partnerships with its customers.
To find out more, visit www.cw.com
About Intregen
Intregen is a Singapore-based company established in 2008 by Alexander Chris Lang, the inventor of numerous internet-based telephony patents. Intregen’s technologies change the way businesses communicate by leveraging their everyday internet tools and offer companies many ways to optimize their internal and external communications, from reducing costs on mobile phones to providing first class call center service to premium customers. Intregen’s suite of products are targeted at enterprises. Multiple applications are built on a single engine encompassing call management, billing and customer service providing corporations a single global point of control of all their telephony communications. Intregen’s technology is protected by US patents 6,188,683 ; 6,694,007 ; 6,804,225 B1 ; 6,879,678 ; 7,116,657 ; 7,636,430 B2 and marketed through focused partnerships.
To find out more, visit www.intregen.com
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