Golden Numbers or Virtual Phone Numbers

Mobilink, Warid Telecom, Zong, and Ufone, well-known mobile phone service providers in Pakistan, are now offering Golden, Platinum and Diamond Phone Numbers. What are they? What do they do for the cell phone service customers and for the Pakistan mobile phone service providers? Who can buy them? Where can they make those numbers ring? First, they are not virtual phone numbers and cannot be used over direct inward dialing on SIP services.

They are phone numbers that are easy to remember such as 0300 2 777777, such as when noted on billboards as we drive down the highway. Potential and current customers are more likely to call the numbers because of the repetition of digits and patterns of digits that are memorable. This means, the mobile phone service provider is very likely to keep the customer who owns the special phone number, unless porting is easy in Pakistan from one provider to another. It also means the receiver of the call, whether that receiver is an organization or individual, is very likely to get more phone calls from those who are important to them ... friends, customers, vendors, and such. Only those in Pakistan can buy the phone numbers. The phone numbers will ring only to the cell phone that the service provider is providing service on ... Mobilink, Warid Telecom, Zong, Ufone, and others.

Will people outside of Pakistan call these special phone numbers to reach the owner? Very unlikely! What might be a better way to get people outside of Pakistan to call businesses and individuals in Pakistan? Virtual phone numbers that are local to the caller!

What are the arguments against Pakistan (or any country) mobile phone service providers making available for sale international phone numbers to their customers? One, the customers may use them for fraud. Everything on Earth can be used for fraud. Does that mean we should stop using everything? Two, this may make Pakistan mobile phone service providers lose revenue. What? Show me how.

When the Pakistan mobile phone service providers start offering USA, UK, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan and other international phone number to their customers, new revenue is generated increasing ARPU and customer retention.

When cell phone service customers in Pakistan buy international phone numbers from their provider, they will have phone numbers that are local to the people who are important to them. Who are important people to you and me that are in other countries? They could be current or potential family, friends, customers, vendors, organizations and so on.

Example: would a global warming research scientist B at NASA GISS be more likely to call another research scientist A at the Institute of Environmental Studies Past Events - University of Karachi on Professor A's Karachi special phone number or her Huntsville, Alabama phone number? Professor B knows that Professor A works the University of Karachi, but wouldn't he be more likely to call the USA phone number?

As insignificant as the digits in a phone number may seem, the DID (direct inward dialing ... phone number)is very powerful. Mobile phone service operators are not taking advantage of what people and organizations really need to connect, grow and succeed ... making available international phone numbers. No one loses. Everyone gains the potential to discover new revenue, opportunities and success.

We can apply this discussion to any country's mobile phone service providers? Want your cell phone company to offer you international phone numbers? Ask yours to sign up at http://www.didx.net and find out more.


... Follow me on Twitter, TMC at http://blog.tmcnet.com/monetizing-ip-communications/, my iTunes podcasts on VoIP and other technologies, or at global events face to face to develop business and innovation.

You were Just a 'Fill in the Blank' and I Made You Everything that You are

"When I met you, you were just a teacher, and I made you everything you are" is what SHE told me the other day when I was discussing with her different plans for my business and professional future.

No, I was not just a teacher. I was, am, and always will be a part of the highly creative, diverse virtual and physical world culture and hive mind.

"Just a teacher" fits quite well with governments' increasing of classroom size, laying off teachers, and allocating more money to war and less to education.

When I was just a teacher, I was no one special, but I did accomplish a lot:
1. English Teacher of the Year
2. Applied for and received millions of dollars in grant money for Escambia County schools
3. Networked with teachers and other educational personnel all over the world via America Online Chat, IRC channels, and bulletin boards.
4. Was the first teacher in Escambia County to use the Internet in my classroom instruction in 1994 ... I brought my own Tandy computer into the classrom, used my FIRN online access, and bought a phone line with grant money to dial up to.
5. In the 17 years I taught English, Civics, American History, Introduction to Foreign Languages, Gifted Studies, and Power Puff Mechanics.
6. I held the position of Media Specialist in addition to being a teacher the last two years.
7. Led the collaboration of middle school children in the school yearbook, newspaper, website, chess team, foreign language club, morning TV classroom news, and electronic pal program.
8. Led children at Carver Middle School in an extremely economically deprived region of Escambia County, Florida to be second among 13 middle schools on the Florida Writes! annual state writing test.
9. Was soon after scheduled to conduct dozens of workshops and presentations to share best practices to help other teachers make the same thing happen.
10. Helped the school to get three international partners in education. Bla, bla, bla.

And I was "just a teacher." I meet some of my students even now. One is a midwife, another a submarine specialist in the Marines, another is the mother of children and has the cleanest house I have ever seen in my life, another is a runner like me, another married a Japanese girl who his first words to her were "Minna De Utaeba Tanoshiku Narune" that he learned in my class ("The More We Get Together, the Happier We'll be"), another robbed a bank in a dress and heels ...

I've always enjoyed using my skills, my upbringing, my work ethic, my eye for how to truly network in a natural way, and my ability to recognize other people's talents, ideas, and work that need sharing. Always been like this in past and current careers of physical fitness centers, writing and telecommunications.

Two books I recommend regarding, for example, the collaboration of many to make anything happen, i.e., innovation and invention, and that no one person can really take credit: Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson and What Technology Wants by Kevin Kelly.

Wired magazine says, "Say the word “inventor” and most people think of a solitary genius toiling in a basement. But two ambitious new books on the history of innovation—by Steven Johnson and Kevin Kelly, both longtime wired contributors—argue that great discoveries typically spring not from individual minds but from the hive mind.."

Don't let anyone tell you that when they met you, "you were just a ______," and that they made you everything you are. You are who you are because of yourself and the combination of everyone who has ever been in contact with you physically, virtually, or via the ripple effect.


.. other blogs from our Super Technologies' team at http://blogs.didx.net/ and http://blog.tmcnet.com/monetizing-ip-communications/, our online magazine at http://www.techistan.com/, our iTunes channel, and DIDX podcasts. Find out how to bring new customers to your telephone company with local phone numbers from 70 countries. We are excited to be a part of helping 1000s around the world start a business, have success and connect with others via our Super Technologies' services such as DIDX, Techistan, Virtual Phoneline, CFMS or HVOIP white label business and more.