We are pleased to announce the release of version 8.1 of our Control Panel. This includes a number of tweaks, as well as a couple of new features that expand on version 8 that was released last month.

1. Bespoke Customer Control Panel Home Page

Up until now customers logging into any control panel would have been greeted with a generic welcome message. We have now designed a solution allowing you to enter your own HTML code to replace this. By granting you this control you can now consider adding promotions, notifications of known issues, or even seasonal messages. To access this new feature hover over ‘Admin’ and select ‘Client Control Panel’ from the menu. A new tab appears where you can upload the code you wish to use.

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We are excited to announce the release of version 8 of our Control Panel interface and our new broadband network. This email details some of the new features and changes made in this latest release.

The core feature of this latest release is our new broadband network. It has been in development over the past year and has involved a massive capital investment and development time. The network sits alongside our hosting setup and will be expanded over the next year to feature additional Points of Presence and an enlarged portfolio of wholesale providers and solutions to meet the needs of all our resellers and their customers. By housing the broadband facilities alongside our hosting network we have been able to make a significant reduction in our operating costs and these have been reflected in new wholesale pricing and data caps. As well as cost savings, housing the hosting and broadband networks alongside each other means we open up lots of future options for a more converged solution encompassing, but not limited to, VoIP and Mobile solutions.

In summary here are some of the core features in this latest release:

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We are pleased to announce that ICUK will be exhibiting at the Convergence Summit South this year. The event is primarily focused towards the reseller / wholesale / channel market. The annual event is held at Sandown Park and this year it falls on the 4th and 5th October 2011. We welcome all existing and prospective resellers to come and meet us on stand number 58. Be sure to pre-register on their site or contact us for a free VIP ticket.

On the stand we will be announcing details of our new broadband network, reseller control panel enhancements, and introducing our latest acquisition – CIX. You can meet some of the team and field any questions you may have about our platforms and service.

It is with great pleasure that we can confirm the release of version 7.6 of the control panel. This features a number of enhancements designed around suggestions from you! These include:

o Phone Line Diagnostics
o Tariff Calculator (for phone calls)
o Phone Line Cease Option
o Revamped Wholesale Pricing Pages
o New Graphical Statistics for Phone Calls
o New Domain Name Availability Checker
o New Help Files
o Off-Site Backup for Dedicated Servers
o New Openreach Procedure

Phone Line Diagnostics   Numbers —> Line Rental —> Support We have integrated the Openreach line diagnostic tools which allow you to run real-time tests on phone lines you manage for a multitude of fault conditions. These can tell you in a matter of minutes if a fault is detected and whereabouts on the network it is. Once the initial tests are complete, you have an option to escalate this fault to us even if a fault isn’t detected. We ask that you be as detailed as you can be in your descriptions of the fault. The fault form will also collect details from you such as on-site contact details and office opening hours should it be necessary for an engineer to visit. Any case that you raise will be sent as an email to our Support Team with a copy being sent to support email address listed within the control panel. ICUK will reply to this email with any updates. To access this new tool simply visit the line rental page of your control panel where there will be a green icon on the right hand side allowing you to access this feature. In the event that Openreach has developed a fault and the test fails you will still be given an opportunity to raise a case to us for further investigation. Continue reading »

It is with great pleasure that we can announce the release of new number tools designed for use with broadband and telecoms. These tools can be found by hovering over ‘Numbers’ and selecting ‘Number Tools’ and are available to all resellers.

These new facilities allow you access to:

ADSL Checker

 
Similar to the version used on our website, this allows you to check using either and existing BT based phone line or post code. There are however a few tweaks to make it clearer for resellers:

o We refer to the suppliers name (eg C&W) instead of a friendly equivalent (Next generation ADSL 2+) as we do on our website.

o When you complete a check on a line, click on an available product showing where we confirm the packages available, first available date should you place an order, and the associated wholesale charges.

o We now show predicted ADSL 2+ Annex M upload and download speeds.

For those customers wanting to integrate a similar checker into their website don’t forget you can do so either using the XML API, or our ready made xDSL checker (see the downloads section of your control panel).

Obtain Installation Details

 
This is a very powerful tool from Openreach allowing you to view the associated features of a line. This includes confirmation of the line type, number of channels (ISDN lines), care level, directory enquiries listing, as well as any calling features (eg caller display).

You need to enter the phone number *and* the associated post code in order to generate a result. In the event the line is an ISDN 2 or 30 with multiple numbers associated, it must the main billing number entered.

Find Address & Line Availability

 
This tool comprises of two functions:

1. The ability to search Openreach’s address database. You can choose to enter multiple pieces of information to track down an address, or you can simply enter the clients post code where all associated addresses are revealed. In the event that an expected address isn’t listed then there is every chance that it will need to be entered as a new address when we go to place an order with them.

2. Once you have found the address you need click on the ‘search’  icon. The next stage will ask you if you want to retain a phone number, but for the most part you can skip this by clicking on ‘next’.  The following stage will confirm any existing working or stopped lines present.

We hope that telecom resellers in particular can make use of this tool. It will now only help you ensuring you are entering an address Openreach will be able to match, but you can also see very easily the presence of stopped lines to restart.

We hope you find these new tools to be of use. If you have any queries or feedback then please get in touch.