Audio Conference Bridging

Prepared by: Helmi Murad

TRI
Assumptions
Weve decided that 3
rd
party audio
conferencing solutions might be able to
address some of our pains
That we will enjoy cost savings with these
solutions in comparison to conventional
methods such as f2f meetings
Selection Criteria
Voice quality
Pricing (rate, structure, approach)
No min charges/usage
No entry/exit fees
Bridging number (local)
Features
Reservation less/ad-hoc
Pay-per-use
Providers
Intercall
Arkadin
PGi
V-Cube
Price Comparison Graph
MYR 0.00
MYR 50.00
MYR 100.00
MYR 150.00
MYR 200.00
MYR 250.00
3 Users * 5 Users ** 10 Users *** C
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Number of Participants/hour/session
Costs for different scenarios (# of users times # of minutes times charge rates)
Arkadin
Intercall
PGi
V-Cube
Service
Providers
Comparison Sheet
Item Arkadin Intercall PGi PGi V-Cube
One time
charge: None None None None None
Setup fees None None None None None
Monthly
Charges None None MYR 290.00 None None
Yearly Charges None None None None None
Termination
fees None None None None None
Minimum
charge None None Minimum 5 users Minimum 5 users None
3 Users * MYR 54.00 MYR 57.60 MYR 72.00 MYR 90.00 MYR 41.40
5 Users ** MYR 90.00 MYR 96.00 MYR 72.00 MYR 90.00 MYR 69.00
10 Users *** MYR 180.00 MYR 192.00 MYR 144.00 MYR 180.00 MYR 138.00
More than 10
MYR 0.30x(# of users)x
minutes
0.20 + 0.12 (Bridging +
Transport Malaysia ITFS) x
10 x n minutes
Remains at 24
sen/minute
Remains at 30
sen/minute
Remains at
23 sen
per/min
Bridging
charges
Toll-free 1-800 local
number
Both toll-free and local
number
Local toll-free
number
Local toll-free
number
Local toll-
free number
* 3 users x 60 minutes x charging rate
** 5 users x 60 minutes x charging rate
*** 10 users x 60 minutes x charging rate
Note: PGis first option requires for us to pay a
minimum subscription to the web conference.
The rest do provide web conference as well
but without us having to pay a minimum fee.
Market Share
* The source did not mention the actual figures, just this chart
Not necessary Sir.
Test results
*Constant Testers:
1. Mohamad Farid Mohamad Ghazali (NSU)
2. Mohammed Ariff Abdullah (ICC)
3. Andarian Kitikan (IS)
4. Helmi Murad (TRI)

* Some other participants had only conducted tests on only some of the services
Item Arkadin Intercall PGi V-Cube Remarks
Voice quality OK. 1 second lag. OK. 1 second lag. OK. 1 second lag. OK. 1 second lag.
No difference
throughout
Votes 4 9 9 15 Lowest scores = best
Responsiveness 1 3 2 3 Lowest scores = best
Web console 1 4 3 n/a Lowest scores = best
Rates 2 3 4 1 Lowest scores = best
Points 8 19 18 19
Note: Lower scores indicate higher preferability
This test is based on what?
Please include in your comparison sheet as well.
Conclusion
Arkadin is the single most preferable service due to several factors.
1. The bridging number is easy to remember.
2. The PIN is shorter than the rest (but not too short).
3. They are the ONLY provider who has the One Time Pin feature.
4. The web console to monitor the audio conference is the only workable one, and
the easiest to navigate. Intercall's lounge/console was not accessible at all which
might be due to our firewall security settings. PGi's web console interface is
barely accessible and navigation is not very easily done.
5. Arkadin has been acquired by a very strong player in telecommunications i.e.
NTT but NTT is not known to be a major player in this area. Hence, it could be
that NTT acquisition would be a boost to Arkadin in terms of operations, funding
and R&D not to mention financial stability. PGi's recent performance in NASDAQ
was not very encouraging but we also need to note that Arkadin and Intercall
was not listed on that same board.
6. Mixed reviews by different parties but the first search result showed a
preference towards Arkadin over Intercall.
7. The most responsive vendor throughout the exercise.
8. Arkadin has the second highest charging rate (as is PGi) but is willing to
renegotiate and revise their rates
Can you include this as part of ur comparison sheet?
Conclusion
Based on the comparison sheets on pages 5, 6, 8
and 9 (cost, ease of use, quality of calls), and
answering to selection criteria on page 3, you
recommend the following solution: