Setting Up a Solid Infrastructure
First and foremost, you must develop a solid infrastructure for your prepaid calling card system to run on. Without a solid infrastructure, you will be spending more time worrying about your systems integrity than marketing your product. The following is a list of equipment and services that you will require to start the business. We have also included recommendations that we feel will ensure a solid infrastructure.
1. Billing, Card, and Call Management Software
We list this item first not only because it is one of the products that we provide, but because it is the most vital in the list. Choosing a good billing software will ensure that every call made through your system is tracked and no call is left unbilled. CardSaver by PEC is not only a robust, dependable software package, it is also the simplest and most user-friendly package in the industry. CardSaver enables you to view reports on traffic passing in and out of your system. CardSaver also gives you complete control over your calling cards, including PIN generation, a large variety of fees, expiration dates, and much more. CardSaver is a vital component for developing a solid infrastructure.
2. VoIP Gateway
The VoIP gateway that handles all of the calls into and out of your system is the next vital component. If your hardware fails, your customers’ calls will not go through. Thus, we recommend choosing one of two brands for your VoIP gateway: Cisco or Quintum. Although we are a proud reseller of Quintum hardware, we recommend Cisco for installations in US, Canada, Western Europe and Australia. Quintum is ideal for countries where only E1s or analog lines are available.
3. Server(s)
Today, you can purchase a desktop system for $499 with monitor included. That is a definitely a great deal, but unless you are only planning to use the system for Internet browsing and word processing, we do not recommend using these type of systems for your mission critical applications. Ideally, we recommend that you use a rackmount server with sufficient specifications. We recommend the following specifications:
Systems with 120 ports or less
Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor
Intel Motherboard
2 GB RAM
Dual SATA hard drives
Gigabit Ethernet Adapter
Systems with 120 ports to 480 ports
Intel Single Quad Core Xeon Processor
Intel Motherboard
4+ GB RAM
Dual 15K SAS hard drives
Gigabit Ethernet Adapter
Systems with 480 ports or more
Intel Dual Quad Core Xeon Processor
Intel Motherboard
4+ GB RAM
Dual 15K SAS hard drives
Gigabit Ethernet Adapter
4. Internet Service
The Internet service that you choose is the backbone of your calling card network. Choosing a reliable Internet service will ensure that your billing server and VoIP gateways will stay online. Ideally, you should place your servers in a co-location facility (i.e. 60 Hudson Street in New York). Internet service in a co-location facility is much less likely to go down than in your office or home. However, if you are placing the equipment at a home or office - we only recommend Verizon FiOS as an Internet connection. If you are placing your systems in a co-location facility, be sure to ask your Internet provider what kind of redundancy is available in case their service goes down; often, the provider will use the backbone of another Internet provider in this event. If your Internet provider does not have a failover plan, you may want to consider selecting a second Internet service as a backup. PEC offers Internet service and hosting for CardSaver customers as well.
5. Phone Service
The phone service that you choose is as important as the Internet service that you choose. If your phone lines are down, your customers cannot call into your system. Generally, phone service is more reliable than Internet service, so it not necessary to be as concerned about redundancy. However, be sure to choose the correct phone service for your application. If you have a system that supports T1 lines, make sure that the T1 is a PRI. If you require that the Caller ID is logged for every call, be sure to add Caller ID (ANI) service. In the US, Canada, Western Europe, some of Eastern Europe and Australia - you have the option of choosing VoIP Phone Service for your access numbers. This is the recommended service as it is easy to acquire and will probably save you money. PEC can explain further if you have any questions regarding VoIP access numbers versus physical T1 lines.
I have had many customers, usually in Africa, that have, after configuring everything properly, complained about the system not working properly. After digging deeper into their problems, I came to realize that their line quality was so poor that the VoIP gateway could not understand the digits that customers were keying in from their phones. After changing their lines, the system worked perfectly.
6. Power Service
In most places throughout the world, power outages are a daily event. If your systems are located in a place where power outages are common, it is essential to have some sort of power generator. For those living in places where electricity is taken for granted, it is still important to consider the integrity of your power service. It is essential, regardless of your location, to have a UPS battery backup. It is recommended that your battery backup can last at least two hours in case of a power outage. If you are placing your equipment in a co-location facility chances are that you will be connected to a generator, however, it is still necessary to have a UPS battery backup.