Press Releases
WhichVoIP launches VOIP phone comparison, with headline sponsor Q-KON SA and AudioCodes.
Increased competition in a rapidly evolving industry, together with the availability of information on the public Internet, has influenced how consumers engage and interact with telecoms technology and the vendor community. By leveraging the Internet, customers are now able to become self-educated and make an informed decision on which product, and through which channel, they are able to acquire their chosen VOIP technology.
Mitchell Barker, Founder and CEO of WhichVoIP in South Africa, the leading online telecommunications news, information and comparison Web site, today announced the launch of its VOIP phone comparison portal, introducing a new way for prospective users of voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) services to compare and evaluate VOIP devices from many manufacturers and make an educated decision on VOIP devices for their business requirements.
“We’ve seen explosive growth in the sale of IP devices given the maturing telephony market and the drive towards next-generation voice networks, forecast to service 5.72 million extension users by 2020. However, as with any growing industry, customers are served a flurry of options and place their trust in their chosen provider to offer devices which are the most befitting for their business requirements. But, who understands the customers’ business better than the customer themselves?” he asks.
“In a market where the majority of VOIP services are based on open standards and allow for interoperability between vendors, we believe that customers should be given the tools to make their own choice of which handset to use, and all VOIP phone vendors should be given an equal opportunity to showcase their offering – this is where WhichVoIP comes in,” Barker says.
Headline sponsor of the VOIP phone section Q-KON South Africa, a leading telecoms distributor in Africa, Tjaart de Wet, concurs: “As the market moves away from legacy technology, customers now have options – regardless of the underlying technology platform, and products such as AudioCodes provide a unique opportunity for customers to plug in our products which are certified to interoperate with leading vendors such as Microsoft, Asterisk, Avaya, Interactive Intelligence, Broadsoft, Genesys and PortaOne.
“There is more to a desktop device than just dial-tone. Customers who want to safeguard their investment and get the most from their telephony solution need to hear the full story, and that is why we are delighted to be part of this initiative given the longstanding service that WhichVoIP has served the the telecoms industry over the past few years. We stand behind our products and believe that with better products, there is the opportunity for leaner competition, and we feel that WhichVoIP is firmly established in the market to provide customers an easy-to-use comparison service so that customers know what they are buying, before they buy it.” he says.
“We’ve given customers the freedom that they should have had all along, allowing them to choose their own device instead of being told what to use by their provider. In a market which is highly competitive, and each vendor claims that their phones are better than the next, it can get confusing for customers – how about we just let the product speak for itself. It’s actually the business model we’ve wanted all along,” concludes Barker.
To kick off the initiative, Q-KON SA surveyed a number of consumers and telecoms partners to establish the market position of VOIP devices, and would like to congratulate Evan Damon from Wanatel as the winner of the lucky draw.
The new comparison tables are available at http://www.whichvoip.co.za/comparison/voip_phone and available to all registered users at no charge.
