At 17:44 30/03/2006, John C Klensin wrote:
If I'm an ISP trying to sell a low-end service to low-end customers at a low (but still profitable) price, I need to cut customer support costs to the absolute minimum.
Interesting to see the impact of a longer datacom societal culture. This may give an indication on the future US trend?
In France you pay the phone support by the minute. A telephone charge system inherited from Minitel, and "Audiotel". There are different rates which must be advertised. The on-line wait of the support was charged. Since Jan 1st, you pay the time you get actual support on line.
Rate for free telephone nationwide + ADSL is 24.5 euro or less. There start being free telephone international. Rates use to be 29.95 euro when including either TV or free support. Dedicated IPv4 are possible. Specialised pro ISP offer IPv6/IPv4 ADSL for around twice that price plus free email support and real hosting and emails. You can chose not to pay a Telco anymore, just the ISP. After six months with a Telco which installs the line. This is transition while ISP have not organised the line installation or WI-Max access.
The interest is certainly to provide bundled IPv6 numbers for free. This was the underlying intent in a questionnaire of the Regulation Authority last year. Increasingly we use coreboxes (smart home routers, NAT+ by ISPs). The trend is probably towards an interbox network as they become more and more intelligent and powerful.
Most of the mobile subscription offer one to three free numbers. So you can plug your home number on the net, make you home number free from you mobile and phone to fixed phones for free. I suppose we will soon see a box permitting to establish conference calls whcih will permit to call mobiles for far less than an SMS.
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