Blueface, Ireland’s leading internet telephony provider has teamed-up with Panasonic Solution Company Europe (PSCEU) to provide an exclusive new offer on the Panasonic KX-TGP500 cordless SIP phone system that brings together the advantages of modern internet HD VoIP voice calls, business phone functionality and easy web based administration.  The exciting new offer means that when customers purchase one KX-TPA50 handset, they will get a second handset free of charge. The KX-TGP500 SIP phone system is an ideal telephone solution for SME’s and sole traders operating in a small office home office (SOHO). The system can be used for business calls with the second handset serving as the dedicated household phone.

For just €99 (ex VAT) buyers receive a Panasonic KX-TPA50 handset along with the KX-TGP500 base unit with one included KX-TPA50 handset. For situations where more than two handsets are required, customers may purchase additional systems with the two for one offer also applicable for multiple purchases.

“This is a win-win deal for Blueface customers who can avail of the low-cost and flexible telephone solutions we provide along with the two smart Panasonic user- friendly handsets,” said Alan Foy, CEO, Blueface.

“We are pleased to team up with Blueface to bring this unique offer to SMEs and the home office market,” added Bob Mercer, Area Sales Manager at Panasonic. “This initiative is an indicator of Panasonic’s development in the provision of telecommunications solutions and Blueface, who are a forward-looking innovative telecommunications company provide an ideal partner for us.”

The KX-TGP500 SIP phone system offer which is exclusive to Blueface customers comes with support for three simultaneous network conversations, support for up to eight SIP registrations and a hands-free speaker phone on cordless handset.

Blueface, Ireland’s leading IP telephony provider has appointed Nameer Kazzaz as Chief Technology Officer. Together with the Blueface engineering team, Nameer will be responsible for delivering the Blueface technology roadmap and unified communications offering.

Nameer Kazzaz is one of Europe’s leading VoIP experts, with over 12 years experience in both the private and public sectors, with a special interest in open source technology and its application to both traditional and the emerging Cloud Telephony.

Before joining Blueface, Nameer  previously held senior roles in  PlanNet21 and Smart Telecom and has consulted on many VoIP and network security projects in the public and private sector.

During his career in the telecoms sector, Nameer was responsible for the introduction of one of the first mobile VoIP networks, and deployed some of the largest soft-switch environments in the world. He is also a regular contributor to global conferences on the subject of IP telephony, Security, Enum, Next Generation Networks, IMS and Voice services.

Educated in Iraq and England, Nameer holds multiple qualifications in computer science, electronics and engineering.

Blueface, Ireland’s leading internet telephony provider is pleased to announce a new cost saving product for SMEs with Emutex VMX. VMX is engineered in Ireland by Limerick based company Emutex. Labeled as ‘an office in a box’, VMX offers a complete set of modern business phone features and enables SMEs to benefit from the low cost phone call charges offered by Blueface’s rapidly expanding VoIP service.

Tipperary based insurance company, Cullen Insurance, has recently signed up to this innovative service with Blueface. Cullen Insurance, which provides a comprehensive insurance service to small businesses, sole traders and personal clients throughout Ireland, will save at least 40% on their existing phone bill by using Blueface as a VoIP service provider, in addition to the call recording feature, which is critical to all organization selling financial services products.

Prior to signing up to the Blueface offering, Cullen Insurance used a traditional phone system from another leading Irish telecoms company. The system consisted of a PBX and 12 proprietary digital phones, and required numerous ISDN and analogue lines to facilitate phone calls. Though the system functioned well the monthly phone bills were very high, driven by the recurring line rental costs and the call charges accrued by the thousands of calls made by the Cullen Insurance team each month.

Doug Howell, Cullen Insurance, commented: “Now more than ever SME’s really need to think about their bottom line and implement cost saving strategies where possible. With this new service from Blueface, we are delighted to be in a position to save our company several thousands of euro each year, and we are already reaping the benefits. The numbers of incoming phone calls have increased; more calls are being answered; sales have increased; and our phone bills have been reduced, all thanks to this efficient service. We also receive fantastic customer care from Blueface, and their support when switching to their service made the transition much easier.”

One VMX line now serves Cullen Insurance’s two premises in the one multi-storey location – Polski Quote and Cullen Insurance. Automatic Call Distribution is used to distribute calls to teams and team members. Call Queuing is used to queue callers in the event that teams are busy, and marketing messages are played while callers are on hold in place of traditional hold music. Call Recording is used for quality assurance and training purposes, while Call Logs are used to monitor the volume and characteristics of call traffic and the effectiveness of staff in facilitating phone calls (ring time, answer time). Blueface’s efficient Fax by Email service also replaces the need for their traditional fax machine.

Alan Foy, CEO, Blueface, commented: “We are offering SME’s the opportunity to significantly cut their telecoms costs with the Emutex VMX solution. Irish businesses are paying way too much for their telecoms service and most small to medium sized businesses just aren’t receiving the service they need and want.  Prices are too high and the service is basic at best. Our service is tailored to the cost and service needs of individual businesses, with this solution business customers can pay monthly per user for the hardware or upfront costs. Cullen Insurance is only one example of an SME that will make substantial savings on their monthly bills this year.”

For further information on this offer contact Blueface on (01) 524 2000 or at www.blueface.ie/business/.

Blueface

Published in Feburary ’10, The article featured in the Sunday Independent. Written by Shane Ross it focuses on the FREE CALLS FOR LIFE offer, and how it saves the general consumer a huge amount on their telephone bill.

Hannah Flattery posing for Blueface

So,what can small businesses, haemorrhaging with cashflow problems, do? One way they can cut costs is by cancelling their subscription to the SFA. Another is by ensuring that they owe no money to AIB. A third is by reducing landline phone charges.

Last week, I found a new way of slashing my home telephone bill, courtesy of a small business with big ideas. Any scheme that kicks Eircom in the solar plexus is good news for those of us who have been victims of the dinosaur for decades.

So, it was wonderful to stumble on a small business start-up that promises to put another nail in the Eircom coffin. Two entrepreneurs entered my life. They will not be joining the SFA or borrowing from AIB. So far they have taken the private equity route.

As a crusty sceptic, I gave Alan Foy and Brendan Gaffney of Blueface a sideways glance when they insisted that I could have “free landline calls for life” if i handed over €199.

I have to confess as a punter who lost Stg£200 in the Eighties on the three-card trick to a man with an orange box just outside Harrods, I am a bit wary of racing certainties.

But knowing the pair well, I handed over the money and tested the product. The two telecom wizards installed a phone and promised me that I now have free landline calls for life.

Blueface has landed a recession buster. The phone provided will eliminate my line rental charge, provided I have a decent broadband connection. I reckon that the end of rental fee alone will reduce my telephone bill by hundreds of euro every year. Not to mention the free calls.

The phone is a cordless handset, easily attached to my old number. I will still pay for mobile calls through pre-payment and any calls outside the country, but even the mobile charges are cheaper than Eircom’s.

I win on the rental, there is none. I win on the mobile charges, they are cheaper. Two fingers to Eircom.

Any punter who wants free landline calls for life should head to blueface.ie. It is Skype without the computer. Blueface is exactly the type of resourceful small business that Ireland needs.  Consumers will love it becuase it will dramatically cut the household budget. So far the offer is only open to residential customers. But Blueface already has visionary plans for small business. The company is lead by a group of young entrepreneurs determined to shake-up the telecoms market. They are launching the ideal product for a downturn, watch this space.

The free landline offer may not be open forever. But it is for life!

There’s been lots of talk about VoIP recently and how it has come of age in many ways. The infrastructure required to support voice calls (i.e the broadband landscape) has changed considerably in Ireland over the past 5 years in particular. There is no question that we still have a long way to go and the questions over the sale or privatisation of public infrastructure won’t go away any time soon.

It’s not ideal that a piece of infrastructure which is vital to the economic success, and indeed the very viability, of the state is largely owned by external investors with no vested interest in Ireland Inc’s future. There are excellent arguments to be made around operating the fixed line network as a state owned monopoly, managed by a private company (who are appointed by tender process) and this infrastructure provided to private enterprise in an open access way. This is a system which could foster innovation and real competition in the marketplace rather than the me-too offerings and marketing-led competition which prevails today.

That being said, we’ve gotten to the point where external shocks to the traditional telecoms landscape are producing results which will have far-reaching consequences for telecommunications (which it is quaintly known as for now!). Google Voice is creating quite a stir in the US by taking control of communications away from the traditional operators. This is a similar method to that employed by Blueface in providing a communications service rather than a phone service. AT&T have recommended that the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) put the traditional PSTN out of it’s misery and move to an all-IP network. In some Northern European countries it will not be possible to buy an ISDN line by the end of 2010 – SIP trunks have become standard. And Verizon have just announced full support for Skype on their mobile service with unlimited data plans.

This maelstrom of activity is unprecedented in telecoms history. The entire value chain is moving inexorably away from call-based billing, and a future of free calls is looming very near indeed. So many people have questioned the value of the VoIP operator and whether companies like Blueface can prosper in a world where calls are free. In fact, Blueface have just launched the free calls for life promotion which sees customers paying €199 for a cordless phone and unlimited Irish landline calls for life. How is this sustainable? In Blueface we know where the industry is heading, and we understand exactly what is needed to survive and thrive in the 21st century.

The idea of paying for calls may be dying rapidly but what people want now is a means of managing their communications in a more effective and time-efficient manner. In other words telecoms is becoming a service based business rather than a utility. So in fact we are moving from a commodotised industry with very little differentiation to a service based industry with distinct differentiation. Companies like Blueface are ideally positioned to benefit from this paradigm shift having embraced IP and web enablement many years ago.

So VoIP isn’t just about saving money – although its a very nice side benefit! Its about communicating more effectively and efficiently. We in Blueface hope that you enjoy and benefit from the services we provide, and look forward to providing you with many more over the coming years. The emperor may or may not have any clothes, but n0 one is really looking for the emperor any more!

Feargal

Blueface, Ireland’s leading internet telecoms company, is set to make some powerful changes in 2010.  Today, the innovative, fast growing technology company announced its first change; the appointment of a new Chief Executive, Mr. Alan Foy.

6^th January, 2010 – Dublin, Ireland, Blueface formally announces the appointment of Alan Foy to the role of Chief Executive of Blueface Ltd.   Mr. Foy is charged with creating and building the next phase of growth for Blueface, a young, innovative and dynamic company with an ambitious new strategic direction.   Mr. Foy will lead the management team to create and deliver unique communications products and services to business, residential and wholesale customers in the UK and Ireland.

“There’s lots of very exciting news in Blueface”, Mr. Foy explains, “We have special cutting edge projects in incubation which clearly demonstrate Blueface’s commitment to innovation and to delivering low-cost, 21^st century telecoms for all our customers”.  “We also have star players joining the management team both here in Ireland and in the UK to help deliver on Blueface’s ambitious plans and who fit with our company’s entrepreneurial and unique culture”.

Mr. Foy comments that, “Blueface is a home-grown Irish technology company delivering cost savings and great communications functionality to Irish and UK SME’s and residential customers in these challenging economic times”. “We empower our customers to take control of their communications services and to manage the costs involved in ways that most telecoms companies wouldn’t dare to offer.  The customer value proposition of Blueface stacks up now more than ever”.