TMCnet Feature

At a show where the most cutting-edge technology is on display, and where the value proposition is top of mind with the focus on what’s next, EcoCarrier displayed how value can be achieved through marketing approaches that leverage existing technology in unique ways to the benefit of under-served and/or under-appreciated markets.

At ITEXPO (News - Alert) East this week, TMC CEO Rich Tehrani had the opportunity to catch up with Carl Teo, CEO and founder of Ecocarrier, Inc., a Canadian-based company that provides managed services, with products such as VoIP gateway, prepaid calling card, pinless calling card, roaming SIM card, mobile broadband on demand (mobile Internet services), callback services and PC-to-phone. Teo shared his insights on social media, cloud computing and the trends most affecting managed service providers. Their full exchange follows below:

RT: What was the most significant technological advancement in the past 12 months and why?

CT: The short answer is the various forms of social networking supported by the facilities that aid in the use and propagation of the social networking movement.

Social networking is a movement that is enabled by the technological advancement in technology and production for mobile devices, mobile broadband on demand, video streaming, mobile payment and rapid deployment and vast coverage and availability of the services at affordable prices.

The operation of social networking is the one most important enabler that propagated movements that resulted in Arab Spring and Russian Spring.

RT: What has been the biggest trend in your market segment and how is it impacting your customers?

CT: Ecocarrier (News - Alert) is in the business of providing carrier services for voice, text and data communication for both fixed line and mobile users in their home countries and when they are traveling abroad and Airtime Credit Transfer Service that will soon be complemented with Money Transfer Service and Virtual Prepaid VISA and Mastercard Service.

Two major trends that have great impact on us as service provider and our customers who are resellers of our managed services the customers are:

(1)   The continual downward pressure on prices which is working to advantage of the consumer end user but is big headache for the service provider and the reseller of the managed services who have to find new avenues of generating large volume of business in order to make up for the reduction sales revenue brought about by price erosion which is the result of over-supply /availability of capacity against a flat or deduced demand due to contraction in the economy.

(2)   The rapid development and increase in requirement for mobile broadband on demand services for personal use and use by commercial and industrial enterprises in M2M applications.

RT: What is the biggest challenge facing your customers today and how is your company helping address that challenge?

CT: With high unemployment in the U.S. and Europe and the European economy in recession, the challenge that we have to overcome is to provide services that are in demand with the best value proposition to the end users so that our customers, who are the resellers and sales agents of our managed services, can continue to grow their business.

We do this by enhancing our Master Agents Service Program for PIN-less Prepaid Telephone Service already integrated with our TopUp360 Airtime Credit Transfer Service with the following additional services:

(a)    WiFi Hotzone services for Public WiFi Hotzone offering prepaid service packages for use in up to 600,000 hotspots worldwide and 3G-based Personal WiFi Hotzone built with our MData-MiFi that connects to 3G network for access to the Internet and creates a Personal WiFi Hotzone with sufficient bandwidth for use by up to five people.

(b)   Targeted Money Transfer Service – particularly for Nepalese to remit funds back to Nepal and others such as Filipinos to remit to Philippines and Egyptians to remit to Egypt.

(c)    Virtual Prepaid VISA and Mastercard Service catering to the undocumented and unbanked community.

RT: How has the cloud impacted your business? How has it impacted your customers?

CT: We have been successfully providing our managed services through cloud computing (Service Platform-as-a-Service P-a-a-S) to our network of resellers and sales agents worldwide who resell the services to the end users in their respective markets and geographical territories. It is highly efficient and effective mode of operation that offers features-rich service at great value proposition to the end users/consumers.

RT: Will cloud-based communications expedite the end of the premises-based PBX (News - Alert) market?

CT: It will before long for all the good reasons: cost savings and great features enhancement or the end customer, the corporation and the great efficiency and convenience in providing pre-sale and post sale services at greatly reduced costs.

RT: What approach has your business taken to social media?  If you have implemented a social media program, have you been able to evaluate your program’s success?

CT: We have begun a social media program that has many facets that include the use of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube (News - Alert) Digg etc. and targeted blogging. It is very elaborate undertaking that requires a dedicated team of competent content creators, marketing specialists and technician good at analytics working together to generate interests and conversation on/about our services and business activities and their value proposition in social networking.

It is a laborious endeavor. We have had some reasonably good results, But it is just the beginning of great results that will be generated in time – we hope before too long.

RT: Does every business need a social media presence? Why or why not?

CT: Every business can use a good social media presence, But I am not sure if every business can afford to build and maintain a good social media presence. It requires substantial investment of time and resources.

RT: With Microsoft (News - Alert) touting tight integration between its mobile and desktop OS, can it become a major competitor in the enterprise mobile market?

CT: It certainly has the potential of becoming a major competitor in the enterprise mobile market.

Tight integration between its mobile and desktop OS is necessary condition but not a sufficient condition for becoming a major competitor in the enterprise mobile market. It also needs the support of price efficient carrier services and powerful locationing services, etc.

RT: What can attendees expect from your company at ITEXPO?

CT: Attendees can discuss with us the following managed services that have proven to be the most efficient, reliable, features-rich, price competitive best value-proposition for business propagation:

(a)    MasterAgent Service Program for enhanced PIN-less prepaid Telephone Service;

(b)   TopUp360 Airtime Credit Transfer Service (www.topup360.com);

(c)    WiFiHotzone Service mobile broadband on demand on-the-go service http://www.ecocarrier.com/wifihotzone.php   (www.wifihotzone.com);

(d)   RemitMoneyNow (www.remitmoneynow.com) money transfer service catering to targeted ethnic community; and

(e)    Virtual Prepaid VISA and Mastercard catering to the undocumented and unbanked community and gift-giving requirement and sign up to become reseller/sales agents for the various services.

RT: Make one technology prediction for 2012 and consider its impact.

CT: The serious implementation of M2M micro-engine and operating system in microprocessors that are used for making devices used in daily living and in the provision of utilities and house appliances to enable them to talk with one another over WiFi and 3G and 4G networks; wireless integration will be featured in electric cars, smart energy and smart grid appliances, and remote monitoring applications. The impact of such technology will be that the essential operations relative to these devices and equipment will be performed in a smarter and greener manner with greater cost efficiency for a higher standard of living.

To find out more about EcoCarrier, visit the company at ITEXPO East 2012, being held Jan. 31- Feb. 3 at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami, Fla. ITEXPO is the world’s premier IP communications event. Visit EcoCarrier in booth #616. For more information on ITEXPO registration click here.