Kae Zulager

Jan 13 2011

Consolidation is BIG NEWS for the Telecom Expense Management Industry

This past October marked the first time in the history telecom expense management industry a telecom carrier has acquired a TEM vendor. Actually, make that two TEM vendors. Vodaphone Acquisition

Vodafone Limited, a large, publicly traded telecom carrier announced the acquisition and consolidation of two established telecom expense management companies: Quickcomm and TnT.

This acquisition really speaks well of Vodafone’s corporate strategy. Marrying these two “opposing” businesses makes a lot of sense. Considering the fact that the two businesses traditionally work “against” one another to neither the carrier’s, nor the end customer’s benefit, this arrangement provides not only internal expense management expertise, but also an additional (and profitable) revenue stream. [Read more…] about Consolidation is BIG NEWS for the Telecom Expense Management Industry

Dec 09 2010

UPDATE: Verizon’s Public Relations on Refunding over $90 Million in Data Charges

Remember a couple month’s back when Verizon Wireless announced they were refunding $90 million in wrongful data charges?

Well we asked Verizon to shed some more specific light on this wrong charges settlement. After several weeks of email correspondence, we finally received a reply. Well, here ya’ go folks, straight from the horse’s mouth. [Read more…] about UPDATE: Verizon’s Public Relations on Refunding over $90 Million in Data Charges

Dec 08 2010

Exclusive Verizon $70 Talk+Text Unlimited Plan Attempts to Rival Sprint

Verizon is now offering select customers unlimited data plans to compete with Sprint Nextel Corp.’s popular unlimited plan.

From RCR Wireless:

Verizon Wireless (VZ) is offering certain existing customers an unlimited data plan that rivals one from Sprint Nextel Corp. (S). The company’s Verizon Wireless Talk and Text Plus Data promotion offers unlimited text, unlimited data and 450 minutes of talk time for $70, with a one-year contract renewal. [Read more…] about Exclusive Verizon $70 Talk+Text Unlimited Plan Attempts to Rival Sprint

Nov 03 2010

Verizon Gets the iPad: What 4G Means For Data Usage

Love it or hate it, Apple’s iPad is definitely a game changer in the realm of corporate productivity. With dozens of business-friendly apps, and the flexibility and security of the iOS platform, iPads are an IT executives’ dream come true.

That is, until they get the bill.

With data overcharges in double digits per kb, one can imagine the level of bill shock iPad-toting employees can generate for an unsuspecting budget.

Due to Verizon’s October 28th release of the iPad, more of our client’s have shown interest in integrating these ultra-cool devices to their mobility program (in fact, we are already managing these devices for some clients). Yet, most are unclear on the level of impact these devices will have on their wireless costs. Both AT&T and Verizon offer different usage plans – which depending on your organization’s level of usage, should have some influence as to which carrier you decide to go with.

Below you will see a breakdown of the cost structures for each carrier:

Verizon Data Rates

AT&T Data Rates

As you can see, both pricing structures are quite different. Where Verizon will charge a monthly over-use charge from $10-$20 depending on your usage plan, AT&T requires an additional plan to be purchased for the month. From AT&T’s website:

“If you exceed the amount of data on your plan, you may immediately purchase an additional data plan or wait until the current plan automatically renews at the end of the 30-day period. Plans expire when you have used all the data included in your plan, or in 30 days, whichever occurs first.”

For benchmarking purposes, you should note that our average client users only use about 1GB per month, or less. On the other hand, we’ve managed some hyper-active users, with iPad data usage topping 20GB a month.

A Last Word For 4G

With both Verizon and AT&T scheduled to roll out 4G services in early 2011, you can expect data usage to increase in proportion to connectivity speed. Faster streaming video, video conferencing, GPS navigation and maps, and other document downloads will mean more productivity. But it will also mean significantly more data usage.

Although it is unknown whether or not the carriers plan on offering adjusted data plans, you should expect some changes for both networks in the coming months.

Oct 28 2010

Learn 3 Ways Your Company Can Battle “Bill Shock”

photo credit: Jon Ovington

So, have you experienced “Bill Shock”?

If you’re like most people, you know the feeling…and it’s not pleasant. Wikipedia describes bill shock as “the negative reaction a subscriber can experience if their mobile phone bill has unexpected charges.”

Well a recent study published by The New America Foundation’s Open Technology Initiative (OTI) suggests a lack of competition is the culprit for “bill shock”. The OTI goes as far as to suggest the U.S. establish regulations to encourage competition amongst wireless providers to ensure “…the U.S. becomes an engine of innovation for the better and more competitively priced service offices.”

At The Bill Police® office, we couldn’t have been happier to hear this. Not only does this highlight the drastic cost avoidance opportunities that we currently implement, but also what savings opportunities the future holds.

So in our quest for helping your organization conquer wireless costs, we present 3 ways you can battle bill shock:

1. Contract negotiation

Understanding what other companies are paying makes great negotiation ammo. Unfortunately, most for-profit organizations aren’t exactly open to sharing this sensitive information. What to do? Leverage the experience of an expert who has worked with multiple large wireless accounts. They understand carrier cost structure and know what other companies with similar usage spend. This allows for supreme bargaining power when digging deep within contract negotiation

2. Get an Audit

Telecom auditing became popular in the days before corporate wireless, when landlines ruled the workplace. Luckily, this same process has been heavily-adapted (think complexities from data, roaming, apps, etc.) to apply to wireless. Outsourcing a wireless telecom audit is the fastest way to drastically reduce wireless spending.

3. Understand Individually Liable Dangers

We find that in certain organizations, this can add up to hundreds of thousands in wireless overspending annually. You can read more about this is our latest whitepaper.

Have you had “bill shock”? Share your experience in the comments below!