UNLIMITED CALLING PLANS CAUSE LARGE TELCOS TO DISCOURAGE CALLS, CONFERENCE PROVIDER SAYS
The nation's largest telcos are trying to dictate to their customers who they can call when they protest calls to free conferencing and other voice services that largely contract with rural incumbent local exchange carriers to provide their offerings, the president of FreeConferenceCall.com said today.
David Erickson, in an interview with TRDaily, stated that many carriers now offering unlimited calling plans are actually trying to dissuade consumers from using voice service because they gain no benefit from the additional traffic. And the model those telcos use to set their flat rates don't always take into account the various methods of how calls can be made.
"The carriers are talking about expenses, he said. "There is also an average charge the carriers charge the consumer, and they are not mentioning that. And to leave that out of the logic of this whole thing is half the story. How do you complain that an item that you have to buy access to is too high of a price when you sell it more than you buy it for? There is in some situations incredible mark up.
[Erickson] said the service he provides is used by millions per month, and was not created as some excuse to drive traffic to a particular network.
"There is nothing wrong with this business, he said. "It is an awesome model, and is loved by the consumers who use it. He noted that many who work for Mary Kay Cosmetics, for example, use the service to stay in touch with service representatives nationwide. "We generate traffic, and give people a reason to make telephone calls.