TIPS Comments/Recommendations on SIP/DID provider

[Samot]

If we told you we could sell you Mobile service (on the carriers network) for $28 for unlimited Talk/Text device data and 20GB WiFi of data, you would also say it is no good right??

No but at the same time I can in no way offer that with out serious mark up. Because the $28 is just _one of the costs_ associated with offering this service. There is still all the other costs of the business/service that has to be considered and those add a base cost to that $28. So selling it for $30-$35 is actually selling it at a loss because by the time I account for all the other costs that $2-7 mark up disappears completely. Of course, I haven't even covered the recovery of the sales/setup costs for bringing the custom on.

and 20GB WiFi of data, you would also say it is no good right??

You mean 20GB of cellular/mobile data as me being on _wifi_ should have no impact of the 20GB cellular data plan. Just like now with standard wireless carriers. Unless there is something we don't know like it's just 20GB of data regardless of cellular or wifi. That is something that should be clarified because that actually changes things.

 

[krzykat]

No but at the same time I can in no way offer that with out serious mark up.

So you're saying their cost is too expensive for you to sell to clients and make a profit, correct?

 

[Samot]

So you're saying their cost is too expensive for you to sell to clients and make a profit, correct?

No, I'm saying I would have to have considerable mark up on it. I'm not a PBX installer, at least that is not my core market. I install PBX systems when required and mostly that has been commercial systems. When I look at engineering solutions like this for sale I have to account for all the costs associated with the solution/product. This means the cost of billing/accounting, operations (utilities, etc), payroll, support (techs, platforms, et al.), usage, and all sorts of other factors. All of those have to be accounted for along with the cost for having the SIM card, etc.

For example, this solution could add 10 hours of support monthly to the load just to support this solution and its users. If your support cost is $30/hour then that is $300 in support added to costs each month (average). Now you figure you'll have about 200 users on this solution. So that becomes $300 / 200 = $1.50 per user in support costs. Now the base cost is $28 + $1.50 = $29.50. And this is just the support part, all the other factors still having been weighed in.

Because right now even at $29.50 with a 10% markup you are marking $2.95 per user, which at 200 users is roughly $590 in markup revenue but then that really isn't all profit if you take part of that $590 to pay your utility bill or your carrier bill or any other costs. Profit is only profit once all your costs are covered.

 

[Halea]

I guess you are use to paying a bloated rate for VoIP services! I can understand, most of you are still paying $1.50 per month for DID, and $0.00975+ for termination and more... we are offering DID for $0.55 with FREE USA/Canada Inbound and calling up to 2000 minutes per month Outbound!

Just as an FYI; most people following this forum probably know at least one vendor who offers DIDs for 6 cents a month (far cry from $1.50) with incoming rates of 3/100th of a cent (not free, but almost). As for the outbound, again trunks for 2/10 of a cent is common knowledge.
Your free incoming DID for $0.55/mo and up to 2,000 mn outgoing (I am assuming it's US+Canada) is certainly attractive.