Reder rebuttal

VoIP for large and small companies?

I enjoyed reading your article on VoIP in the (CMJ September) and was surprised to see such corporations as Falconbridge, Ford, Boeing, etc., adopting the technology, which appears to be going mainstream. There was no mention, however, of the comparative costs of the VoIP system versus the existing “land-line” system. Is it a matter of scale before savings are realized, as can be inferred by the adoption of the technology by larger companies?

Rick Honsinger, VP Corporate Communications Formation Capital Corp. Vancouver, BC The savings versus land-line for a larger company are larger in proportion, but they are still significant for smaller businesses and even for individual households. Companies such as Falconbridge have large IT departments on ‘the lookout’ for potential savings or improvements. VoIP can be a savings for every size of company, but if your long distance bill is $200,000 per month, your savings will be more significant (and payback quicker) than if your bill is $2,000 per month.

One drawback is that if you lose either your power or Internet connection, you lose your phone line. However, I would suggest you contact one of the several providers of this service and have them perform an evaluation.

Dan Davies Ph: 604-590-9318

Knotty safety problem

The Homer Simpson poster is pretty cool (CMJ October 2005). Unfortunately, it shows him descending a line of knotted bedsheets with no belay or a friction device to control his descent. Perhaps the safety-first poster should add just a bit more detail to make the point.

Bob Gerath., Engineering Geologist Thurber Engineering Ltd. Vancouver, B.C.