ECN’s Virtual Boardroom™ is a FREE cloud-based, fully managed, on-demand convenient teleconferencing service that allows multiple participants to connect to a single teleconference call.

Features & Benefits

• FREE service – no installation, subscription or monthly rental fees.
• No contractual obligations
• Teleconference from anywhere, at any time.
• No restrictions on the number of participants.
• Secure service with PIN registration and enrolment.
• Cost effective call charges.
• No costly infrastructure required.
• Simple to manage and operate.

Call Charges

There are no once off charges or monthly service fees. All participants dialling-in and using this service will be billed individually by their service providers for their telephone call. ECN subscribers will be charged R0.17/minute, charged per second.

How it works

1. Generate a PIN
   Generate a PIN, by dialling 086 000 9525 and following the IVR prompts.
2. Plan Your Teleconference
   Communicate the PIN to all participants as well as the number to dial (086 000 9525). Also schedule a date and time for the teleconference.
3. Hold Your Teleconference
   At the scheduled date and time, all participants should dial in and follow the IVR prompts.

Requirements

Access to a telephony service from any provider.

Packages

General Meeting – Quick and easy-to-use FREE service. Simply dial, enter your PIN and teleconference.

Downloads

Please click on the link below to download the document.

Brochure
User Guide
Terms & Conditions

FAQ

1. 1. 1. This is advertised as a “free” service. Are there any up-front or hidden costs?
         There are no up-front or hidden costs. ECN makes this service available to everyone for free. There are no contracts, not subscription fees and no monthly costs to use this service.
      2. If the service is free, who pays for the call?
         To use the service you need to dial into the service using a telephone. So your service provider (Telkom, MTN, Vodacom, etc.) will bill you for your call, based on their call rates, just like they do for any other call you make. ECN subscribers will be billed R0.17/minute, charged per second.
      3. Is there any infrastructure or software I need to purchase and install to use this service?
         ECN hosts this service on its own national network infrastructure, so all you need is a telephone. Once again you save, because there are no installation costs, infrastructure costs or on-going maintenance costs.
      4. Can I just dial-in and use this service or do I need to register first and book a time slot?
         Yes, you can just dial-in and use this service at any time. If you are not in possession of a PIN, you can follow the IVR prompts regarding a General Meeting, which is our quick and easy-to-use teleconferencing service. The PIN that is generated must be shared and used by all participants.
      5. Is there a limit to the number people that can join a conference call?
         There is no limit to the number of participants that can join a conference call.
      6. Is there a limit to the duration of a conference call?
         There is no limit to the duration of a conference call.
      7. Are conference calls recorded?
         At present, conference calls are not recorded.
      8. How do I know who is on my conference call?
         All participants need to record their name prior to entering the conference. As participants enter or leave the conference, an announcement is made to that effect i.e. “James has joined the conference” or “Jane has left the conference”.
      9. How many times can I use my PIN?
         There is no limit to the number of times you can use your PIN. Your PIN will automatically expire 6 months after last use. If you need a PIN after that just dial-in and generate a new PIN.
      10. Is my PIN unique to me?
          All PINs are randomly generated and there are no duplicates. Obviously the only people who are aware of your PIN are the participants that you share your PIN with.
      11. I have lost my PIN, what do I do?
          You can simply dial-in again and generate a new PIN for a General Meeting.
      12. Why, when I use the mute key on my phone to just “listen in”, does my call drop after a while?
          Pressing the mute key on your phone while on a conference call means that we don’t receive “voice” signal from you, which appears to our system to be a call that has hung-up but not disconnected. There is a safety measure in place to ensure that when a user hangs-up, and our system possibly misses that hang-up, that the call is dropped automatically so that the user is not billed for an open-end call. Our voice team is currently working on a solution.