|
| The
Company |
| 1 |
What
services does your company provide? |
|
i.Core Technologies
Inc.(www.icore.net)
provides wholesale connectivity and back-end services to Internet
Service Providers.
|
| 2 |
How
many subscribers do you support? |
|
We
support thousands of subscribers in USA and Canada. Almost 99% of
our customer base is in USA. |
| 3 |
How
many years have you been in business? |
|
i.Core
has been providing B2B services since 2000. |
| 4 |
Do
you own any hardware or do you merely buy services from someone else? |
|
The
company is a 'hybrid' provider, as opposed to a 'facilities based'
provider. The company outsources telecom services but owns and manages
core servers that host billing, authentication, database, e-mail and
acceleration services. |
| 5 |
What
is different about your company? |
|
We were first
in the industry to adopt 'No Signup Fee' and 'No Term Commitment'
policy. Whenever we negotiate lower prices, we share the savings
with our clients. Over 2004-2005, prices were reduced 4 times!
2006 has seen
the introduction of several proprietary solutions, and an innovative
pricing model that allows ISP to adjust the coverage level (and
cost) within a dialup network.
The company
is proud of the innovative, cost-effective solutions we have introduced
over the years. We intend to carry on the tradition well into the
future.
|
|
 |
| i.Core's
Technology & Infrastructure |
| 1 |
Describe
the infrastructure that supports the services you provide. |
|
Our network
resides in a world-class datacenter that maintains multiple connections
to major Internet backbone carriers with OC-12 and Gigabit Ethernet
connections using the BGP-4 routing protocol. The data center is
built with N+1 redundancy throughout, including multiple HVAC systems
and redundant power. Every month, the backup diesel generators are
tested to make sure they are in proper functioning order in case
of power grid failure. The data center's physical security is entrusted
to 24x7x365 live monitoring, CCTV, and biometric access control
system.
|
| 2 |
How
have you planned for vendor redundancy, regarding telecom services? |
|
We have designed
our business around the concepts of vendor redundancy. Our business
relationships and partnerships assure alternate coverage if required.
In addition to the network infrastructure, the N+1 approach extends
to vendors, providers, partnerships and business relationships.
|
| 3 |
How
fault tolerant are the servers that host the applications and
data? |
|
Mission
critical servers and applications are designed with N+1 redundancy
in mind. Two installations of Billing, RADIUS, Database and Acceleration
services are hosted on independent servers that are configured with
SCSI RAID 1+0. Both servers are 'live' and available 24x7. |
| 4 |
What
is the uptime percentage of the network services, over the
past 2 years? |
|
Over
the period of Jan-2004 to Dec-2005, uptime percentage for network
services exceeds 99.999%. The N+1 redundancy architecture keeps services
available on one server while maintenance is performed on the other. |
| 5 |
What
are the company's plans for 2008, 2009? |
|
In
the interest of business confidentiality, we can't tell you a lot.
New opportunities will be explored, hardware will be upgraded or replaced,
new relationships will be developed, and we will keep innovating and
introducing intelligent solutions. |
|
|
| Signup
Process |
| 1 |
How
long does it take to sign up? |
|
Normally, it
takes 24-72 hours. The time may vary based on the level of customization,
peak periods (monthend), errors in forms etc.
|
| 2 |
Do
you require a payment up front? |
|
No,
we do not require any payment up front. We will request a payment
when partial setup is complete. Further configuration is completed
upon receipt of payment. |
| 3 |
How
will you notify me when the account has been set up? |
|
We
will send an email to the primary contact listed in the submitted
documents. |
| 4 |
How
will your company bill us? How do we bill our customers? |
|
We will provide
you two accounts:
#1 is a business account to manage billing between i.Core and your
company.
#2 is for you to manage and bill your subscribers.
|
| 5 |
I
could use a brief training session. Do you provide training of any
kind? |
|
Yes, we will
provide an overview session if you require it. Please let us know
if you require any assistance, training or clarification.
|
|
|
| MultiLevel
Network |
| 1 |
Why
the different coverage levels? |
|
One gigantic
network has been split into three levels of coverage, each priced
differently. The three levels are offered so you can reduce the
costs by matching a coverage level to the geographical reach of
your business.
|
| 2 |
What
is the difference between Platinum, Gold and Silver levels? |
|
Think
of the different coverage levels as the 'reach' of your business.
How far do you want to reach out to potential subscribers? If your
needs are served by Silver coverage, then you should not waste money
on the Platinum coverage. |
| 3 |
Which
coverage level is good for my business? |
|
This decision
should be made after examining the market you service. Consider
this example:
Boise (Idaho) is in Silver & Gold & Platinum level
Blackfoot (Idaho) is in Gold & Platinum level
Bayview (Idaho) is only in Platinum level.
If you service the Boise market only, you need Silver level.
If you service Boise & Blackfoot, you need Gold level.
If you service Boise & Blackfoot & Bayview, you need Platinum
level.
|
| 4 |
Can
the level of coverage be changed in the future? |
|
Yes, you can
change from one coverage to another as your needs change. The switch
can be made any time without a setup fee.
|
| 5 |
Can
I create accounts on more than one coverage level? |
|
You can use
only the one coverage of your choice.
|
|
|
|
