Introduction

Tema Telecoms’ International offering has been developed to generate substantial savings for businesses that incur high costs on international voice and fax call. By using Tema Telecoms’ sophisticated least-cost routing technology, clients will be able to achieve savings of up to 50% on international voice and fax calls.

Below is an illustration of how International works:

 

When installed on the client’s telephone system, International is able to recognise international dialling prefixes and will reroute all outgoing international voice and fax traffic through Tema Telecoms’ routers. These calls will be routed to the international gateway, where the call will be terminated. Call-back technology then originates a new call from the overseas location, at a vastly reduced rate. International then accepts the incoming call and connects the original caller and destination numbers, closing the call and lowering the call cost.

International can be seamlessly integrated with PABX from all major vendors. Tema Telecoms regularly pre-tests new equipment from PABX suppliers to ensure compatibility and offers solutions for almost every telephony system. This means additional lines are usually not required – International merely reroutes international calls, and is bypassed for non-international calls.

International’s intelligent software prevents lock-ups – a common problem with other devices in the market. This means International is the most efficient and high-performance solution available. The system’s ability to integrate with telephone management systems (TMS) is an added benefit, because it means call costs can be billed accurately.

Actual savings achieved through International are determined by call volumes and traffic patterns, but Tema Telecoms’ account managers are able to proactively manage each client’s account to optimise savings by advising on optimal usage patterns. Traffic and usage patterns are monitored continuously to ensure that equipment is used optimally.

There are some international destinations for which Tema Telecoms cannot offer significant savings. In these cases, calls are not routed to the international gateway, but are sent via Telkom. The list of excluded countries is programmed into International’s routers, and can be changed or updated at any time should prices or circumstances change.

Minimum requirements

  • The client’s PABX must be able to be programmed for least-cost routing.
  • The PABX must have sufficient ports available for connection to Tema Telecoms’ international dialers, either analogue (PSTN) or digital (ISDN PRI) available for the connection to the Tema routers.
  • The client’s landline bill for calls to cell phones must be sufficiently high to warrant the installation of International. A Tema Telecoms consultant will be able to advise the client in each case.

PABX certifications

Tema Telecoms has strong relationships with PBX suppliers, and all the equipment supplied by Tema has been tested and approved for use with all relevant PBX’s.

Fees

In some cases, Tema Telecoms will charge once-off fees for installation of International. These fees will be payable in arrears with the first invoice. Under some circumstances, these fees may be discounted. Please ask one of our consultants for details.
Tema Service Level Agreement for International
ZONE
DESCRIPTION
A
Within the metropolitan reach of a Tema Telecoms office. This is approximately 70 km but the actual area definition is defined in service level maps that Tema Telecoms maintains.
B
Within approximately 70 km of an approved Tema Telecoms Agent (which includes maintenance agents).
C
Within approximately 10 km of a specially defined town/city and maintained by Tema Telecoms directly.
D
Within approximately 10 km of a specially defined town/city and maintained by an Tema Telecoms agent or maintenance agent.
E
Installation maintained by client itself.
   

The following service level parameters apply to each installation. The Tema Telecoms proposal document provided for the client will state the number of working days for each of the parameters:

PARAMETER
DESCRIPTION
Pro-active call monitoring
This is the pro-active monitoring of usage and non-usage on FCTs installed to ensure optimum uptime and therefore maximum savings for the client. This is done by special teams within the Tema Telecoms offices and includes calls to clients when any abnormalities are detected.
First Line Maintenance

This is a technician on site to perform:

  • A FCT reset (to clear lockups)
  • A wiring check
  • A software interface check between PABX and FCT
  • A SIM swap, if necessary
Second Line Maintenance

This includes all of First Line maintenance, plus: FCT replacement if necessary

Third Line Maintenance

This includes all of second line maintenance, plus: Sending a Tema Telecoms senior technician to site.

PABX call-out
This may apply to any of the 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd line maintenance levels and involves sending a PABX technician to site. This applies only when the PABX is supplied by one of Tema Telecoms' PABX supply partners. The proposal states this clearly.

Please note that “working days” refers to the maximum number of working days it will take to get to the client’s site from receipt of the call from the client. Working days are assumed to be from 08h00 to 17h00, excluding weekends and public holidays. All durations listed are typical and will be achieved 90% of the time. Currently, no on-site service is available after hours.

Quick and easy installation

Tema Telecoms carries out all assessment, installation and after-sales service. Tema Telecoms’ technicians evaluate the client’s equipment to ensure that all calls can be accommodated on the available telephony networks. There is no need to contact the PABX vendor or affect warranties – Tema Telecoms will take full responsibility for each installation. In addition, Tema Telecoms does not charge for installation of the International solution.

Tema Telecoms is committed to eliminating problems associated with down-time and will monitor overflow at regular intervals in order to provide its clients with ongoing advice relating to usage patterns and further cost savings.

All International routers are monitored by Tema Telecoms daily, ensuring that non-usage or underperformance will be rectified immediately. Tema Telecoms’ real-time monitoring ensures that international dialers are always available and always functioning, thereby optimising savings and system capacity.

 

Tema Telecoms provides…

  • Insurance against manufacturing defaults on international routers.
  • Full use of all equipment installed on the client site, though all equipment remains the property of Tema Telecoms.Free and unlimited technical call-outs to the client site. A call-out fee will only be charged if it is found that equipment not belonging to Tema Telecoms is responsible for the technical fault.
  • Any necessary international router replacements
  • Daily pro-active analysis and usage checks by Tema Telecoms, including a daily email usage report.
  • Free upgrades, when required, to ensure proper PABX interface according to specifications.
  • Postal billing on request.

Billing

Tema Telecoms provides its clients with comprehensive and easy-to-read bills at the end of every month via email. Each bill summarises statistics pertaining to usage, provides itemised billing and a breakdown of savings for each call made during that month. Itemised billing is can be provided in printout, email, CD and diskette on request. Payment options include debit order arrangements, for quick and easy payment.

How to get started

Getting started with Tema Telecoms is as easy as 1, 2, 3…

  1. Provide Tema Telecoms with copies of your Telkom phone bill, preferably in electronic format, for the last three months, which we will use to analyse and break down your call usage pattern. This will form the basis of our proposal, as well as showing how many fixed cellular terminals will be required for your business needs.
  2. Tema Telecoms will present an International proposal based on the call patterns identified in Step 1.
  3. On acceptance of the proposal, Tema Telecoms will conduct bandwidth checks, apply for any necessary bandwidth from the various network operators, scope the installation and implement the solution.