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2004

THUS plc launched a call conferencing service today to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) increase productivity and reduce the costs of unnecessary travel to meetings. Demon Voice Conferencing is the latest addition to THUS's Demon branded communications portfolio for SMEs, which includes Internet access, hosting and telephony services.

Demon Voice Conferencing allows both new and existing Demon users to set up a virtual conference room through a quick and simple online interface. Registration is free and there are no monthly service fees so customers only pay for the lines they actually use. Users are charged at a fixed rate of 10 pence per minute including VAT from a UK landline. The service is very flexible, allowing users to set up a conference moments before it starts and to cancel without cost at short notice. Users can invite new participants while the conference is in progress without disrupting the call, either by dialling a landline number or a mobile number, in which case a text message with the dial-in details is sent automatically to the mobile recipient. Up to 30 people can join each call.

Conference features include a personalised room greeting that can be changed at any time, a roll call of participants, the ability to mute individual lines and to switch on or off an announcement of participants entering or leaving the conference. In addition, users can decide to activate call recording at any time during the call, in which case all participants hear an announcement advising them that the call is being recorded. The recording is emailed to the chairperson at the end of the call and can be played back using standard media players.

"There are real benefits to improving communication internally and with customers through high quality conference calls. We don't see why SMEs should miss out, but we believe they have been paying over the odds for services that don't really meet their needs," said Nigel Stevens, Product Director at THUS plc. "We have drawn on our experience of working closely with smaller companies through our Demon brand to design a service that is cost effective and very easy to use, providing a straight forward, flexible service with no hidden costs."