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VOX ADSL Phone is a product aimed specifically at the Home or Small Office environment.
It provides the user with choice. The chance to choose between fixed line providers, which was until now a monopoly held by Telkom.
The ADSL phone allows the user to make better use of their ADSL internet connection.
It is not just another version of Skype but rather a true VoIP solution. To make use of this technology, the user does not need to open an interface on the browser and in fact does not need a computer attached to the ADSL line to make a call.
Q: To make use of Vox's ADSL Phone, an ADSL line is required - what size ADSL line is required?
A: A 384Kb ADSL line is the minimum requirement
Q: How much air time will I get with a 1 Gig cap?
A: If used only for the phone with no emails, attachments, downloads etc - it will give you approximately 4200min of call time!
Q: Will there be a difference in lines for my Home use and Office use?
A: Telkom charge a different rate for home and office use for the physical line. Vox don't differentiate.
Q: How do I get paid from incoming calls?
A: You get a R0.20c per minute rebate on every call from a Telkom number to the 087 No. and R0.40c per minute rebate from every call from a cell phone to your 087 Number. Your rebate will be reflected as a credit on your monthly bill.
Q: How do the VoIP rates compare to Telkom's existing rates?
A: Some of the rates are not competitive, eg local calls and off peak rates to Telkom hence the reason that we leave Telkom as a secondary provider on the phone. To dial via Telkom simply press #9 before the number.
It is also difficult to gauge savings exactly as it depends on call patterns because of the minimum charges and billing methodology.
Roughly speaking on outbound calls the savings are as follows:
Q: Does the phone belong to me and what does the upfront cost of R300 and monthly costs of R49 cover?
A: No the phone belongs to Vox Telecom.
Q: Is there only one number per phone
A: You can have more than 1 number attached to the phone - for example you can give your children a different number to you. You pay R10 / month for the additional number rentals.
Q: How long does it take to process my order?
A: Credit cards:
Credit card payments are processed in real time.
Debit order:
Debit orders are run daily. Orders will only be processed once the money has cleared in our bank account, up to 5 days, we then need 1 day for delivery.
Q: How soon can I expect my phone to be delivered?
A: Once payment is successfully received your order will be processed.
Orders processed before 2 p.m. can expect delivery the following day (before 2.00pm in major centres and after 2 in outlying regions.)
Orders processed after 2 p.m. will be delivered within 2 working days.
Q: What happens if Vox runs out of stock?
A: Your purchase will be put on back order and a phone will be reserved for you. As soon as we receive stock your order will be processed. Payment will only be required once we receive the stock.
Q: What happens if I put in the wrong sponsor number?
A: Avoid doing this if possible!
If you do, then you need to contact your Sponsor or the Vox Support Team. You will be moved to the correct sponsor number; however, Vox cannot guarantee that commission calculations on purchases already processed under the incorrect sponsor number can be rectified 100%.
Q: I have my own VOIP phone. Can I just get a Vox 087 number and pay for calls made?
A: Please contact: vox@thuso.com for more information on this
Q: Is Vox Telecom the most competitive operator across the board?
A: Vox is committed to the Government's objective of reducing telecom costs in South Africa, we are going to do this by:
Q: Is Vox's quality as good as Telkom
A: Vox has invested extensively on the core infrastructure and customer phones to ensure that our quality is at the highest standard possible and above 4 on the Mean Opinion Score
Q: What is the Mean Opinion Score
A: This is a standard measure of Voice quality used by all the International Telcos
Q: Is Vox's Quality Constant
A: No, unfortunately the quality is dependent on Telkom's ADSL network which does fluctuate occasionally in some areas but 98.5% of the time the quality is adequate to make a clear voice call.
Q: Can we use some other network like Wireless or WiMAX?
A: No, currently Vox's service has been optimised for Telkom's ADSL Network. Vox is currently researching other phones on other technologies like WiMAX, but the products are not consistent enough to launch to the market.
Q: If I am a Customer only, what is the best way of using Vox to save money?
A: Vox No. to Vox No. during Peak and Off-Peak hours
Vox No. to International No. during Peak and Off-Peak hours
Vox No. to Cell phones during Peak times
Vox No. to National Telkom No. during Peak hours
Q: How expensive is it to phone Vox?
A: That depends on where the call is coming from; all calls from the Cellular networks will be priced at the standard cell phone charge, International networks are not connected at this stage. Other Alternative Service providers, like MWeb, will be priced as cheaply as possible and the cheapest will be Vox to Vox calls. Telkom, however, are charging R1.07 to phone a Vox No. which is substantially less than a cellular call and slightly more than a Telco to Telco National call, (but we believe this is an issue that their customers may take up with Telkom.) They can either switch to Vox or some other provider, or put pressure on Telkom themselves. We believe the natural competitive process will drive this down.
Q: Why are Telkom charging so much to phone Vox?
A: Telco is listed on NASDAQ and the JSE and have a responsibility to their share holders to maximise their profits. It is therefore in their interests to fight off competitors like Vox in every way possible.
Q: What will happen if Vox's products become uncompetitive?
A: Vox's strategy is one of partnership with our customers and we will work together to improve the competitiveness of the product; switch to an alternate technology or provide a way for our customers to switch to another supplier. Vox does not hold customers to long term contracts unless it is a back-to-back with a 3rd party supplier.
Q: Will Vox be a disruptive threat to Telco?
A: No, in reality we are not an infrastructure provider and, as has been proven elsewhere in the world, the size of the market will increase dramatically as prices come down, and Telkom's revenue will probably increase as a result of companies like Vox. However, this will not happen without competition and we need the support of our customers to become strong enough to compete at all levels otherwise the status quo remains.
Q: Are Vox a First Tier Telco?
A: No, Vox is a hybrid Telco that leverages off 3rd party networks integrated into our own.
Q: What are my fixed costs if I retain the Wireless Modem and Phone for International calls and Internet Access?
A: Your costs will be R49 per month.