#Telecom Billing Services

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

When I did my study abroad my biggest culture shock was literally two girls from Quebec telling me how much money they pay for their cellphones every month 😂 And apparently they couldn't even cancel it while they were staying in Spain for six months! Crazy.

And the sad thing is that I'm pretty sure Quebec has some of the most competitive cell plan rates in the country, along with maybe Saskatchewan and Manitoba? Because they have big local telecom companies that compete with the national oligopolies.

Everyone else is stuck with the three major national carriers that collude to keep prices high and competition low. 🙃

[commsal]

Streamlining Telecom Billing with SAP BRIM by Acuiti Labs

Acuiti Labs empowers telecom businesses with SAP BRIM to transform outdated telecom billing systems. Our solution automates mobile service invoicing, enhances telecommunication revenue management, and reduces revenue leakage—delivering scalability, transparency, and better customer experiences.

[vindaloo-softtech]

Benefits of VoIP Billing Software and Tips to Choose the Right One for Your Business

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology has become increasingly popular among businesses, enabling them to make phone calls over the Internet rather than traditional phone lines. This technology offers numerous benefits, including cost savings, increased flexibility, and enhanced communication capabilities. However, managing and billing VoIP services can be complex and time-consuming. This is where VoIP billing software comes in, providing businesses with a comprehensive solution for managing and billing VoIP services. In this article, we will explore the benefits of VoIP billing software and how it can help businesses streamline their billing processes.

What is VoIP Billing?

VoIP billing refers to the process of tracking and charging customers for their usage of VoIP services. VoIP billing systems help service providers manage their revenue streams by monitoring call usage, calculating fees, generating invoices, and processing payments. These systems support offers can be categorized as prepaid and or postpaid billing, and they come with features like call detail records, real-time billing, customer management, and billing analytics. VoIP billing aims to ensure accurate invoicing, reduce customer disputes, and improve customer satisfaction.

Benefits of VoIP Billing Software

Automation

Automation is one of the top reasons for having VoIP billing software in the VoIP softswitch solution. The software automates the billing process, eliminating the need for manual processes such as data entry, generating invoices, and tracking payments. Automation saves businesses time and money, reducing the risk of errors and ensuring that invoices are accurate and sent out promptly. This automation also allows businesses to redirect their employees’ efforts to more value-added tasks. 

Accurate Billing

VoIP billing software ensures accurate billing by automatically calculating usage and generating invoices based on pre-defined rules. This eliminates billing errors and ensures that customers are charged correctly for their services. This feature ensures that there is transparency and fairness in billing, which can help to improve customer satisfaction. 

Centralized Customer Management

VoIP billing software provides businesses with a centralized platform for managing customer accounts, including call logs, payment history, and service usage. This enables businesses to provide better customer support and enhance customer satisfaction. Businesses can quickly identify the customer’s history and track their account details, which allows them to customize their services for each client’s needs. A better understanding of customer needs can lead to more targeted marketing and sales strategies, boosting customer retention. 

Improved Service Offering

VoIP billing software enables businesses to easily create and offer customized pricing plans, promotions, and discounts. This feature can help businesses attract and retain customers. Businesses can easily create pricing plans that cater to their customers’ specific needs, offering a more personalized service. Additionally, the software provides businesses with detailed analytics on service usage, enabling them to identify opportunities for upselling and cross-selling. Better insights into service usage patterns can lead to more effective marketing and sales strategies. 

Better Resource Management

VoIP billing software provides businesses with insights into their service usage patterns, which allows them to manage resources more effectively. By analyzing usage patterns, businesses can identify areas of overuse or underuse and adjust their services accordingly. This can help to reduce costs by minimizing wastage of resources and maximizing their usage. 

Scalability

VoIP billing software is highly scalable, enabling businesses to scale their operations as they grow. The software can handle an increasing number of customers and services without compromising on performance or accuracy. As businesses grow, they can easily expand their services by adding new customers or offering new services. 

Integration

VoIP billing software can integrate with other systems used by the business, such as CRM software or accounting software. This integration can help businesses streamline their billing process and ensure consistency across all systems. This feature can also reduce the potential for human error by eliminating the need for manual data entry and reconciling data between systems. 

Data Analysis

VoIP billing software provides businesses with detailed analytics on service usage, enabling them to identify opportunities for improvement. By analyzing usage patterns, businesses can identify areas of inefficiency and adjust their services accordingly. For example, if a customer is overusing a particular service, the business can either adjust the service to better meet their needs or offer additional services that better meet their needs.

Who Uses VoIP Billing Solutions?

VoIP service providers include telecommunications companies, internet service providers, and resellers of VoIP services. These providers rely on VoIP billing systems to manage their billing and invoicing processes, as well as to track customer usage and generate reports to analyze business performance.

Telecom VoIP billing is a complex process that requires specialized software and expertise to ensure accurate billing.

Hosted VoIP billing systems are prevalent among small and medium-sized service providers, providing a cost-effective solution without expensive infrastructure.

VoIP billing solutions offer a range of benefits to service providers, including simplified billing processes, reduced errors, and detailed reporting and analytics that can help providers track revenue and manage customers more effectively. 

Overall, VoIP billing solutions are essential for any business offering VoIP services and can help providers streamline their operations, improve their services, and drive business success.

Tips for Choosing the Right VoIP Billing Software

Consider Your Business Needs

Before choosing a VoIP billing software, consider your business needs and requirements. Look for a software solution that provides the features and functionality you need to manage and bill VoIP services effectively. 

Evaluate the Software Features

VoIP billing software should provide essential features such as billing automation, call rating, and invoicing. Additionally, it should offer additional features such as analytics, customer management, and integration with other systems, such as CRM software. 

Check for Scalability

Choose a VoIP billing software that can scale as your business grows. Look for a software solution that can handle an increasing number of customers and services without compromising on performance or accuracy. 

Look for Integration Options

VoIP billing software should be compatible with other systems used by your business, such as CRM software or accounting software. This enables you to streamline your billing process and ensure consistency across all systems. 

Evaluate Customer Support

Choose a VoIP billing software provider that offers excellent customer support, including training, technical support, and regular updates. This ensures that you receive the necessary support and resources to use the software effectively and optimize your billing process. 

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, VoIP billing software can provide businesses with a comprehensive solution for managing and billing VoIP services, enabling them to save time, reduce costs, and increase revenue. By considering the tips above, businesses can choose the right VoIP billing software that meets their needs and enables them to manage and bill VoIP services effectively. Contact us today!

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Denise Hearn and Vass Bednar’s “The Big Fix”

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/12/05/ted-rogers-is-a-dope/#galen-weston-is-even-worse

The Canadian national identity involves a lot of sneering at the US, but when it comes to oligarchy, Canada makes America look positively amateurish.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/12/05/ted-rogers-is-a-dope/#galen-weston-is-even-worse

Canada's monopolists may be big fish in a small pond, but holy moly are they big, compared to the size of that pond. In their new book, The Big Fix: How Companies Capture Markets and Harm Canadians, Denise Hearn and Vass Bednar lay bare the price-gouging, policy-corrupting ripoff machines that run the Great White North:

https://sutherlandhousebooks.com/product/the-big-fix/

From telecoms to groceries to pharmacies to the resource sector, Canada is a playground for a handful of supremely powerful men from dynastic families, who have bought their way to dominance, consuming small businesses by the hundreds and periodically merging with one another.

Hearn and Bednar tell this story and explain all the ways that Canadian firms use their market power to reduce quality, raise prices, abuse workers and starve suppliers, even as they capture the government and the regulators who are supposed to be overseeing them.

The odd thing is that Canada has been in the antitrust game for a long time: Canada passed its first antitrust law in 1889, a year before the USA got around to inaugurating its trustbusting era with the passage of the Sherman Act. But despite this early start, Canada's ultra-rich have successfully used the threat of American corporate juggernauts to defend the idea of Made-in-Canada monopolies, as homegrown King Kongs that will keep the nation safe from Yankee Godzillas.

Canada's Competition Bureau is underfunded and underpowered. In its entire history, the agency has never prevented a merger – not even once. This set the stage for Canada's dominant businesses to become many-tentacled conglomerates, like Canadian Tire, which owns Mark's Work Warehouse, Helly Hansen, SportChek, Nevada Bob's Golf, The Fitness Source, Party City, and, of course, a bank.

A surprising number of Canadian conglomerates end up turning into banks: Loblaw has a bank. So does Rogers. Why do these corrupt, price-gouging companies all go into "financial services?" As Hearn and Bednar explain, owning a bank is the key to financialization, with the company's finances disappearing into a black box that absorbs taxation attempts and liabilities like a black hole eating a solar system.

Of course, the neat packaging up of vast swathes of Canada's economy into these financialized and inscrutable mega-firms makes them awfully convenient acquisition targets for US and offshore private equity firms. When the Competition Bureau (inevitably) fails to block those acquisitions, whole chunks of the Canadian economy disappear into foreign hands.

This is a short book, but it's packed with a lot of easily digested detail about how these scams work: how monopolies use cross-subsidies (when one profitable business is used to prop up an unprofitable business in order to kill potential competitors) and market power to rip Canadians off and screw workers.

But the title of the book is The Big Fix, so it's not all doom and gloom. Hearn and Bednar note that Canadians and their elected reps are getting sick of this shit, and a bill to substantially beefed up Canadian competition law passed Parliament unanimously last year.

This is part of a wave of antitrust fever that's sweeping the world's governments, notably the US under Biden, where antitrust enforcers did more in the past four years than their predecessors accomplished over the previous 40 years.

Hearn and Bednar propose a follow-on agenda for Canadian lawmakers and bureaucrats: they call for a "whole of government" approach to dismantling Canada's monopolies, whereby each ministry would be charged with combing through its enabling legislation to find latent powers that could be mobilized against monopolies, and then using those powers.

The authors freely admit that this is an American import, modeled on Biden's July 2021 Executive Order on monopolies, which set out 72 action items for different parts of the administration, virtually all of which were accomplished:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/08/party-its-1979-og-antitrust-back-baby

What the authors don't mention is that this plan was actually cooked up by a Canadian: Columbia law professor Tim Wu, who served in the White House as Biden's tech antitrust czar, and who grew up in Toronto (we've known each other since elementary school!).

Wu's plan has been field tested. It worked. It was exciting and effective. There's something weirdly fitting about finding the answer to Canada's monopoly problems coming from America, but only because a Canadian had to go there to find a receptive audience for it.

The Big Fix is a fantastic primer on the uniquely Canadian monopoly problem, a fast read that transcends being a mere economics primer or history lesson. It's a book that will fire you up, make you angry, make you determined, and explain what comes next.

[recreationaldivorce]

i've asked about this a few times now but not since before al-aqsa flood, so: what's the vibe on vpn services which have servers in israel? you can't realistically "boycott" them unless you boycott all big vpns, and i think the benefits of having a vpn outweigh the benefits of boycotting every single vpn service with israeli servers, but i do wonder if the israeli economy meaningfully benefits from people having servers in israel anyway. ig they'd be paying bills to israeli companies and paying for israeli internet? but like esims for gaza is also probably paying israeli telecom companies right? so it's not something that's completely verboten under bds?

if vpn services having israeli servers meaningfully benefits the israeli economy, what even is the viability of a campaign for them to divest? considering we'd be campaigning against every popular international vpn company when a lot of ppl in the bds movement probably don't even use vpns or care about them?

i guess that probably points to vpn companies not being a strategic target right? idk, it's just something that's been nagging me for years since i tried looking into a vpn service to buy that A. i trusted to not give my data to the government and B. didn't have servers in israel lol. i know there are also some vpn services that only have their vpn servers in one country that isnt israel, ig i might look into those if it starts bothering me too much, im just used to the vpn services that offer servers in dozens of countries

[seat-safety-switch]

When the service rep comes around, that's when the real good stuff starts. In any company that employs a lot of high-end equipment, the bosses usually insist upon having someone from the supplier of that equipment on call, for when it breaks down. If you're smart, the contract you write with the vendor lays out the expectations for how quickly your precious factory, plant, or agricultural operation will be returned to operation, and thus profitability.

As such, any malfunction that is serious enough to trigger a "call-out" has a service rep attend to it, to make sure the relationship doesn't turn litigious. While the maintenance worker slaves away, the rep spends time smoothing over ruffled feathers with the boss.

Maintenance workers are initially hazed upon their arrival, in a sort of "ooo, you're in trouble" elementary-school-level ritual. Getting called to the principal's office! After they've proven their diligence, all but the dimmest bulbs are then accepted into the group of other working-class Joes on site. Come check out the cool thing we did to your machine so that it wouldn't break like this so often. What do you mean it broke? It was not our intention, caste-mate. Please accept some disgusting instant coffee as way of partial apology.

This never happens to the salespeople, if you have any, who are suspicious of the foreign service rep, and remain so the entire time. Although they have much more in common than different, a seasoned office-politics observer can tell instantly from their posture and manner of speech that the interloper in their territory makes them feel threatened.

Although I no longer work in an office of any kind, the sight of a photocopier or telecom repairperson's van parked out front of one still gives me the visceral thrill of knowing someone else's day is going to be spent pulling a bunch of fucked up wires out of a closet, then discovering the creators of those fucked up wires are in fact their new best friends. And then knowing that the guy in the Lexus following him is going to probably get ditched by the sales force outside the sleaziest peeler bar they can find, leaving him holding the bill.

[omgmaxsmith-blog]

Can Open Source Integration Services Speed Up Response Time in Legacy Systems?

Legacy systems are still a key part of essential business operations in industries like banking, logistics, telecom, and manufacturing. However, as these systems get older, they become less efficient—slowing down processes, creating isolated data, and driving up maintenance costs. To stay competitive, many companies are looking for ways to modernize without fully replacing their existing systems. One effective solution is open-source integration, which is already delivering clear business results.

Why Faster Response Time Matters

System response time has a direct impact on business performance. According to a 2024 IDC report, improving system response by just 1.5 seconds led to a 22% increase in user productivity and a 16% rise in transaction completion rates. This means increased revenue, customer satisfaction as well as scalability in industries where time is of great essence.

Open-source integration is prominent in this case. It can minimize latency, enhance data flow and make process automation easier by allowing easier communication between legacy systems and more modern applications. This makes the systems more responsive and quick.

Key Business Benefits of Open-Source Integration

Lower Operational Costs

Open-source tools like Apache Camel and Mule eliminate the need for costly software licenses. A 2024 study by Red Hat showed that companies using open-source integration reduced their IT operating costs by up to 30% within the first year.

Real-Time Data Processing

Traditional legacy systems often depend on delayed, batch-processing methods. With open-source platforms using event-driven tools such as Kafka and RabbitMQ, businesses can achieve real-time messaging and decision-making—improving responsiveness in areas like order fulfillment and inventory updates.

Faster Deployment Cycles: Open-source integration supports modular, container-based deployment. The 2025 GitHub Developer Report found that organizations using containerized open-source integrations shortened deployment times by 43% on average. This accelerates updates and allows faster rollout of new services.

Scalable Integration Without Major Overhauls

Open-source frameworks allow businesses to scale specific parts of their integration stack without modifying the core legacy systems. This flexibility enables growth and upgrades without downtime or the cost of a full system rebuild.

Industry Use Cases with High Impact

Banking

Integrating open-source solutions enhances transaction processing speed and improves fraud detection by linking legacy banking systems with modern analytics tools.

Telecom

Customer service becomes more responsive by synchronizing data across CRM, billing, and support systems in real time.

Manufacturing

Real-time integration with ERP platforms improves production tracking and inventory visibility across multiple facilities.

Why Organizations Outsource Open-Source Integration

Most internal IT teams lack skills and do not have sufficient resources to manage open-source integration in a secure and efficient manner. Businesses can also guarantee trouble-free setup and support as well as improved system performance by outsourcing to established providers. Top open-source integration service providers like Suma Soft, Red Hat Integration, Talend, TIBCO (Flogo Project), and Hitachi Vantara offer customized solutions. These help improve system speed, simplify daily operations, and support digital upgrades—without the high cost of replacing existing systems.

[bisquid]

As of 2025, UK citizens who have an emergency in a blackout may not be physically able to call 999

As some of you may or may not be aware, the UK telecoms companies have decided that maintaining phone and internet infrastructure is too much effort, so they're getting rid of all the copper wired telephone infrastructure, and moving everyone to VoIP, or 'just sending phone calls over the internet'. I find this moronic for a bunch of reasons, but especially because VoIP needs power to work. Which in turn means that unlike standard landlines, a power cut also renders your phone useless. Obviously your mobile will still work - provided it has signal. If it doesn't have signal, then congratulations! You literally cannot make any calls, even to emergency services!

You know the places most likely to have bad phone signal?? Rural places. Which are also the places most likely to get powercuts.

This will literally kill people

The government has responded to this demonstration of screaming irresponsibility by mandating that telecoms companies provide 'at risk' households with a backup power supply lasting 'at least an hour'. How generous, how kind, how.... absolutely fucking useless for the people this move puts most at risk.

There are places - particularly in rural Scotland - where the only reason power companies know there's a problem is because affected customers call up and tell them.

Imagine it. You're living alone in rural Scotland. There's a storm overnight that knocks out your power at, say, midnight. Your Government Mandated Backup Power Supply (let's imagine your telecom company is extra generous and gives you one that lasts FIVE TIMES longer than the mandated minimum) kicks in when the power goes. You wake up at 7am. You have no power. Your backup power supply (let's. Just call it a ups) ran out two hours ago. You can't call the power company to tell them the power's gone. No one can call you to tell you anything, to warn about additional bad weather or check you're okay, nothing. You head into the kitchen to make breakfast in the predawn light. You trip over something you didn't see in the gloom and break your leg (if you're an older person, more likely your hip). You can't call an ambulance. If you're badly injured and can't get up, you lay there on the floor until - hopefully - someone comes round to check on you. Or you struggle upright and - what? Walk to the nearest bus stop, neighbour's house? If there's one in walking distance. Or - and this will be the most common outcome for the elderly without regular visitors - you lie there until you die.

There are houses in Scotland that don't have power, just phone lines, holiday cabins and some static caravans and so on. What are those people going to do? Or people who can't afford to pay their power bill? Are they now at risk of being unable to call an ambulance?

[beardedmrbean]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote next week on an annual defense bill that includes just over $3 billion for U.S. telecom companies to remove equipment made by Chinese telecoms firms Huawei and ZTE from American wireless networks to address security risks.

The 1,800-page text was released late Saturday and includes other provisions aimed at China, including requiring a report on Chinese efforts to evade U.S. national security regulations and an intelligence assessment of the current status of China's biotechnology capabilities.

The Federal Communications Commission has said removing the insecure equipment is estimated to cost $4.98 billion but Congress previously only approved $1.9 billion for the "rip and replace" program.

Washington has aggressively urged U.S. allies to purge Huawei and other Chinese gear from their wireless networks.

FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel last week again called on the U.S. Congress to provide urgent additional funding, saying the program to replace equipment in the networks of 126 carriers faces a $3.08 billion shortfall "putting both our national security and the connectivity of rural consumers who depend on these networks at risk."

She has warned the lack of funding could result in some rural networks shutting down, which "could eliminate the only provider in some regions" and could threaten 911 service.

Competitive Carriers Association CEO Tim Donovan on Saturday praised the announcement, saying "funding is desperately needed to fulfill the mandate to remove and replace covered equipment and services while maintaining connectivity for tens of millions of Americans."

In 2019, Congress told the FCC to require U.S. telecoms carriers that receive federal subsidies to purge their networks of Chinese telecoms equipment. The White House in 2023 asked for $3.1 billion for the program.

Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell said funding for the program and up to $500 million for regional tech hubs will be covered by funds generated from a one-time spectrum auction by the FCC for advanced wireless spectrum in the band known as AWS-3 to help meet rising spectrum demands of wireless consumers.

[lboogie1906]

Strive Masiyiwa (January 29, 1961) is a businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder and chairman of Econet Wireless International and Zimbabwe’s first billionaire.

He was born in Zimbabwe. His father became a businessman and his mother was an entrepreneur. He was told by a senior officer that the conflict was almost over and that the country needed people like him to help rebuild it. He took the officer’s advice and earned a BS in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Wales.

He joined Zimbabwe Posts and Telecommunications Corporations as a senior engineer and became a principal engineer within the company.

He founded and financed Econet Wireless. Econet obtained a license to provide cell phone service in Zimbabwe. He became involved with the privately held London-based Liquid Telecom Group. He was the first African to be appointed a Netflix Board member.

He and his wife, the former Tsitsi Maramba, established the Capernaum Trust which is a support program designed to educate Africa’s orphans and vulnerable children. He is involved with Bill Gates and Warren Buffett’s Giving Pledge initiative. He is co-chair of Grow Africa and has helped organize $15 billion for African agriculture. His Ambassador Andrew Young Scholarship, provides funds to send African Students to Morehouse College. He was awarded the Freedom Award by the International Rescue Committee for his contributions towards supporting refugees and championing the cause of dignity, individual freedom, and liberty.

They have six children. He holds an honorary degree from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and has been named an influential figure by many publications including Time magazine and Forbes. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[justinspoliticalcorner]

George Chidi at The Guardian:

Elon Musk, named by Donald Trump to co-lead a commission aimed at reducing the size of the federal government, is poised to undermine funding for rural broadband services to benefit his satellite internet services company, Starlink. Musk has long been a critic of the Biden administration’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (Bead) Program, which provides $42.45bn through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill to expand high-speed internet access in rural communities. Starlink, the satellite internet services subsidiary of SpaceX, has largely been shut out of this funding after government agencies deemed it too slow to qualify. But with Trump’s election, and the deference Trump appears poised to give to Musk’s desired reforms, the world’s richest man could re-prioritize how the federal government provides high-speed internet to rural America, creating an immense conflict of interest. If Musk recommends cuts to government spending on rural fiber optic broadband – as he has repeatedly suggested – it directly increases the value of Starlink’s satellite internet services.

“We have never had a situation where the leading shareholder of a communications company has both a position – both in terms of influencing the president, but also having an assignment to drive efficiency in government – with so many government contracts,” said Blair Levin, a telecommunications industry analyst with New Street Research and the Brookings Institution. “That is an extraordinary situation. That is unprecedented.” Levin suggested that Trump could order Bead funding to be withheld indefinitely as soon as he takes office, even though Congress has authorized the funding. Doing so would violate the 1974 Impoundment Control Act, a law Trump fell afoul of in his first term that ultimately resulted in one impeachment. But Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who will co-lead the commission to reduce the size of the federal government, argued in a Wall Street Journal editorial last week that Trump should pursue impoundment when he deems it necessary.

“Mr Trump has previously suggested this statute is unconstitutional, and we believe the current supreme court would likely side with him on this question,” they wrote. Any move like this would tie the program in legal knots as lawsuits abound, Levin said. But the delay is the point. “While states and others could file legal actions to stop such a pause, we think most courts would be reluctant to enjoin or otherwise stop the administration from reconsidering some elements of the program. Even actions of dubious legality can benefit Starlink through delay or through litigation.” Musk had set his sights on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) long before Trump’s victory. The NTIA administers federal grant funding for the Bead program. Without a government subsidy, rolling fiber optic lines down country roads to serve a handful of houses at a time is usually too cost-prohibitive for an internet service provider. But to companies like AT&T or Verizon, a government subsidy to a local internet service provider also looks like the government funding the competition.

Big telecom companies and the FCC argued long and loud about what parts of the country had access to high-speed service, and thus didn’t need government money. But the definition of “high speed” used by industry and the government was often slow by many standards. After years of negotiation, lawsuits and politicking, the FCC and the NTIA settled on a modern definition for broadband service: 100 megabits per second (Mbps) download speeds, 20Mbps upload speeds, with less than 100 milliseconds of latency. Right now, Starlink doesn’t meet that standard. It has been getting slightly slower over time even as more people sign up for service, according to internet performance testing service Ookla’s speed tests. In 2022, the FCC rescinded a $900m grant from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund to Starlink to connect rural communities to the internet, citing its failure to meet the speed and latency standards and declining network performance.

Musk erupted on an X post. “Starlink is the only company actually solving rural broadband at scale! They should arguably dissolve the program and return funds to taxpayers, but definitely not send it those who aren’t getting the job done,” Musk wrote. ”What actually happened is that the companies that lobbied for this massive earmark (not us) thought they would win, but instead were outperformed by Starlink, so now they’re changing the rules to prevent SpaceX from competing.” In June, Musk described the Bead program, which began rolling out grants to states this year, as “an outrageous waste of taxpayer money and is utterly failing to serve people in need”. A month later, Musk endorsed Trump and began a $100m spending campaign in support of his candidacy.

After Musk started to gain Trump’s ear – and particularly after Musk’s endorsement and Starlink’s deployment of satellite terminals to areas hit by Hurricane Helene, which Trump praised regularly on the campaign trail – Trump’s language about rural broadband began to shift in Musk’s direction. Trump described Starlink as “better than the wires”, when talking with Joe Rogan in the much-watched podcast interview. “We’re spending a trillion dollars to get cables all over the country, right, up to upstate areas where you have like two farms … They haven’t hooked up one person.” Over the last year, the FCC commissioner – and Trump’s newly named FCC chair – Brendan Carr has also echoed Musk’s position, arguing that the public might be better off by subsidizing the cost of Starlink terminals instead of fiber optic broadband. After Trump’s election, Carr said the FCC is unlikely to revisit its rescission of Starlink’s grant, citing procedural hurdles. But Carr, who authored the FCC chapter of Project 2025, has suggested that as much as a third of Bead funding could go to satellite internet providers.

The “Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)” co-headed by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy is just another self-enrichment scam.

[panashifzco]

Unlock convenience with our telecom self-service kiosk!

Discover all the amazing features packed into this innovative solution. From bill payments to SIM card issuance and replacements, managing your telecom needs has never been easier!

visit: https://panashi.ae/telecom-solutions.html

[infinitywebinfopvtltd]

Eko API Integration: A Comprehensive Solution for Money Transfer, AePS, BBPS, and Money Collection

The financial services industry is undergoing a rapid transformation, driven by the need for seamless digital solutions that cater to a diverse customer base. Eko, a prominent fintech platform in India, offers a suite of APIs designed to simplify and enhance the integration of various financial services, including Money Transfer, Aadhaar-enabled Payment Systems (AePS), Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS), and Money Collection. This article delves into the process and benefits of integrating Eko’s APIs to offer these services, transforming how businesses interact with and serve their customers.

Understanding Eko's API Offerings

Eko provides a powerful set of APIs that enable businesses to integrate essential financial services into their digital platforms. These services include:

Money Transfer (DMT)

Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AePS)

Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS)

Money Collection

Each of these services caters to different needs but together they form a comprehensive financial toolkit that can significantly enhance a business's offerings.

1. Money Transfer API Integration

Eko’s Money Transfer API allows businesses to offer domestic money transfer services directly from their platforms. This API is crucial for facilitating quick, secure, and reliable fund transfers across different banks and accounts.

Key Features:

Multiple Transfer Modes: Support for IMPS (Immediate Payment Service), NEFT (National Electronic Funds Transfer), and RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement), ensuring flexibility for various transaction needs.

Instant Transactions: Enables real-time money transfers, which is crucial for businesses that need to provide immediate service.

Security: Strong encryption and authentication protocols to ensure that every transaction is secure and compliant with regulatory standards.

Integration Steps:

API Key Acquisition: Start by signing up on the Eko platform to obtain API keys for authentication.

Development Environment Setup: Use the language of your choice (e.g., Python, Java, Node.js) and integrate the API according to the provided documentation.

Testing and Deployment: Utilize Eko's sandbox environment for testing before moving to the production environment.

2. Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AePS) API Integration

The AePS API enables businesses to provide banking services using Aadhaar authentication. This is particularly valuable in rural and semi-urban areas where banking infrastructure is limited.

Key Features:

Biometric Authentication: Allows users to perform transactions using their Aadhaar number and biometric data.

Core Banking Services: Supports cash withdrawals, balance inquiries, and mini statements, making it a versatile tool for financial inclusion.

Secure Transactions: Ensures that all transactions are securely processed with end-to-end encryption and compliance with UIDAI guidelines.

Integration Steps:

Biometric Device Integration: Ensure compatibility with biometric devices required for Aadhaar authentication.

API Setup: Follow Eko's documentation to integrate the AePS functionalities into your platform.

User Interface Design: Work closely with UI/UX designers to create an intuitive interface for AePS transactions.

3. Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) API Integration

The BBPS API allows businesses to offer bill payment services, supporting a wide range of utility bills, such as electricity, water, gas, and telecom.

Key Features:

Wide Coverage: Supports bill payments for a vast network of billers across India, providing users with a one-stop solution.

Real-time Payment Confirmation: Provides instant confirmation of bill payments, improving user trust and satisfaction.

Secure Processing: Adheres to strict security protocols, ensuring that user data and payment information are protected.

Integration Steps:

API Key and Biller Setup: Obtain the necessary API keys and configure the billers that will be available through your platform.

Interface Development: Develop a user-friendly interface that allows customers to easily select and pay their bills.

Testing: Use Eko’s sandbox environment to ensure all bill payment functionalities work as expected before going live.

4. Money Collection API Integration

The Money Collection API is designed for businesses that need to collect payments from customers efficiently, whether it’s for e-commerce, loans, or subscriptions.

Key Features:

Versatile Collection Methods: Supports various payment methods including UPI, bank transfers, and debit/credit cards.

Real-time Tracking: Allows businesses to track payment statuses in real-time, ensuring transparency and efficiency.

Automated Reconciliation: Facilitates automatic reconciliation of payments, reducing manual errors and operational overhead.

Integration Steps:

API Configuration: Set up the Money Collection API using the detailed documentation provided by Eko.

Payment Gateway Integration: Integrate with preferred payment gateways to offer a variety of payment methods.

Testing and Monitoring: Conduct thorough testing and set up monitoring tools to track the performance of the money collection service.

The Role of an Eko API Integration Developer

Integrating these APIs requires a developer who not only understands the technical aspects of API integration but also the regulatory and security requirements specific to financial services.

Skills Required:

Proficiency in API Integration: Expertise in working with RESTful APIs, including handling JSON data, HTTP requests, and authentication mechanisms.

Security Knowledge: Strong understanding of encryption methods, secure transmission protocols, and compliance with local financial regulations.

UI/UX Collaboration: Ability to work with designers to create user-friendly interfaces that enhance the customer experience.

Problem-Solving Skills: Proficiency in debugging, testing, and ensuring that the integration meets the business’s needs without compromising on security or performance.

Benefits of Integrating Eko’s APIs

For businesses, integrating Eko’s APIs offers a multitude of benefits:

Enhanced Service Portfolio: By offering services like money transfer, AePS, BBPS, and money collection, businesses can attract a broader customer base and improve customer retention.

Operational Efficiency: Automated processes for payments and collections reduce manual intervention, thereby lowering operational costs and errors.

Increased Financial Inclusion: AePS and BBPS services help businesses reach underserved populations, contributing to financial inclusion goals.

Security and Compliance: Eko’s APIs are designed with robust security measures, ensuring compliance with Indian financial regulations, which is critical for maintaining trust and avoiding legal issues.

Conclusion

Eko’s API suite for Money Transfer, AePS, BBPS, and Money Collection is a powerful tool for businesses looking to expand their financial service offerings. By integrating these APIs, developers can create robust, secure, and user-friendly applications that meet the diverse needs of today’s customers. As digital financial services continue to grow, Eko’s APIs will play a vital role in shaping the future of fintech in India and beyond.

Contact Details: –

Mobile: – +91 9711090237

E-mail:- info@infinitywebinfo.com

[ereh-emanresu-tresni]

I really feel like telecom bill payment portals should be exempt from rate limiting/service shutoff like I'm sorry do you want my fucking money or not??

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

I'm in TARTU, ESTONIA! AI, copyright and creative workers' labor rights (TODAY, May 10, 8AM: Science Fiction Research Association talk, Institute of Foreign Languages and Cultures building, Lossi 3, lobby). A talk for hackers on seizing the means of computation (TODAY, May 10, 3PM, University of Tartu Delta Centre, Narva 18, room 1037).

#20yrsago Sony’s entertainment business is killing its electronics business https://memex.craphound.com/2004/05/10/sonys-entertainment-business-is-killing-its-electronics-business/

#20yrsago Pixel-counting can un-redact government docs https://cryptome.org/cia-decrypt.htm

#20yrsago MPAA’s Bizarro-world logic https://web.archive.org/web/20060508195757/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,119414,00.html

#20yrsago Stanislaw Lem is cranky! https://web.archive.org/web/20040513235656/http://www.mosnews.com/interview/2004/04/06/lem.shtml

#15yrsago Antifascist collages that made Hitler crazy https://web.archive.org/web/20090513034540/http://www.quazen.com/Arts/Visual-Arts/The-Extraordinary-Anti-Nazi-Photomontages-of-John-Heartfield.702053

#10yrsago Amazon patents taking pictures of stuff on a white background https://www.diyphotography.net/can-close-studio-amazon-patents-photographing-seamless-white/

#5yrsago Delta targets its workers with anti-union apps that push deceptive memes https://memex.craphound.com/2019/05/10/delta-targets-its-workers-with-anti-union-apps-that-push-deceptive-memes/

#5yrsago Ever, an “unlimited photo storage app,” secretly fed its users’ photos to a face-recognition system pitched to military customers https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/millions-people-uploaded-photos-ever-app-then-company-used-them-n1003371

#5yrsago A former college admissions dean explains the mundane reverse affirmative action that lets the rich send their kids to the front of the line https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/5/1/18311548/college-admissions-secrets-myths

#5yrsago Sanders and AOC team up for an anti-loansharking bill that will replace payday lenders with post-office banking https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2019/05/why-you-should-back-the-sanders-aoc-plan-to-cap-credit-card-interest-rates-at-15-re-launch-the-postal-savings-bank.html

#5yrsago Frontier receives $283.4m/year in taxpayer money, neglects network, rips off customers — and Trump’s FCC won’t investigate https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/05/ajit-pai-refuses-to-investigate-frontiers-horrible-telecom-service/

#5yrsago Google mistakenly handed out a reporter’s cellphone number to people searching for Facebook tech support https://www.vice.com/en/article/zmpm43/google-thought-my-phone-number-was-facebooks-and-it-ruined-my-life

#5yrsago After elderly tenant was locked in his apartment by his landlord’s stupid “smart lock,” tenants win right to use actual keys to enter their homes https://www.cnet.com/home/smart-home/tenants-win-rights-to-physical-keys-over-smart-locks-from-landlords/

#5yrsago Co-founder of Facebook calls for breakup of Facebook https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/09/opinion/sunday/chris-hughes-facebook-zuckerberg.html

#1yrago Two principles to protect internet users from decaying platforms https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/10/soft-landings/#e2e-r2e

[beatrice-otter]

Why I hate CenturyLink

We cancelled our service and sent the equipment back in MARCH. In April, we got a bill because they said we still had the equipment. Called them, spent a long time on hold, finally got someone who was able to confirm that they had gotten the equipment and everything was properly cancelled.

You'll never guess what happened last week! We got a CenturyLink bill for equipment we turned in back in March, and internet and phone service in the intervening months! I called today, and after a 1/2 hour on hold, I finally got a live person who said he was able to fix the problem and they had the equipment and weren't charging us and we shouldn't hear from them again.

The equipment in question, by the way, was so old that whenever we had a problem with our internet, their first response was always to say "oh, the problem is because your equipment is so old and obsolete, you have to buy new stuff" (despite the equipment never being the actual problem in the end). So I'm not amused by how much of my time they've wasted confirming they got their obsolete equipment back.

Thank God we've switched to a local telecom co-op. When I have a problem I call them and get a live person IMMEDIATELY who can either fix the problem or explain it. They're lovely.

Hopefully I never have to deal with CenturyLink ever again!