Posted: 08/2001
Partner Channel
NEWS BRIEFS
* Bandwidth.com (www.bandwidth.com) has announced a comprehensive best-pricing guarantee, guaranteeing business customers the lowest pricing available from carrier partners such as AT&T Corp. (www.att.com), Qwest Communications International Inc. (www. qwest.com), Sprint Corp. (www.sprint.com), Cable & Wireless USA (www.cw-usa.net), UUNET Corp. (www.uunet.com) and others. In June it also reported it has doubled its headcount and reached the first of a series of revenue objectives, passing the $5 million mark of data telecommunications services in its third full month as a services agent for Tier 1 carriers.
* NEON Communications Inc. (www. neoninc.com) has named Randy Domolsky as vice president of indirect channels and customer development. He will be responsible for developing the alternate channel for NEON and forging strategic global relationships with emerging network providers. Domolsky was formerly regional sales vice president for the Mid Atlantic and Southeast at NEON.
* Online telecom consultant Frame-Relay.Net (www.framerelay.net) has entered a partnership with consulting firm ITS Inc. (www.its-services.com). FrameRelay.Net's portal offers data transport choices for businesses in a comparison-shopping environment. ITS, which cultivates relationships with service providers, hardware manufacturers and system integrators, will give FrameRelay.Net's clients access to data consulting, pre/post sale technical support, application design and network design.
* Broadband communications provider XO Communications Inc. (www.xo.com) has enhanced its managed IP Virtual Private Network (IP VPN) services, including off-net capabilities, increased security and the option to outsource to XO the management of rented or purchased customer premise equipment (CPE).
With off-net capability, XO customers can connect to corporate networks whenever they connect to the Internet, via any service provider (off-net), not just via XO (on-net). The IP VPN service, which can be sold in its 62 markets by XO direct sales and channel partners, offers a secure, web-based extranet for communications between an organization's offices, business partners, customers and local and remote employees.
* CLEC and integrated provider e.spire Communications Inc. (www.espire.com) has expanded its agent program by adding dedicated technical and administrative support, and by increasing in-house sales resources. It also has begun an aggressive recruiting campaign. Expanded markets include Austin and San Antonio, Texas; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Columbia and Greenville, S.C.; Kansas City, New York and the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.
* PowerNet Global Communications Inc. (PNG, www.pngcom.com) has announced the appointments of several key personnel. Ron Richards will become vice president of data solutions, responsible for leading PNG's agent channel data initiative. Before PNG, Richards spent two years as senior manager of agent marketing at Cincinnati Bell Telephone Co. Dennis Packer has been appointed to general counsel, responsible for regulatory compliance and the legal aspects of PNG's relationship with vendors, agents, customers and strategic partners. Prior to PNG, Packer spent six years in private practice. Richard Popper has been promoted to vice president of business services, responsible for all carrier relationships, including contract negotiations and pricing. Previously, Popper streamlined operations at Cincinnati Bell Long Distance by adding revenue through new agents and resellers. Finally, David McCarty has been named vice president of enhanced services, responsible for the direction and advancement of PNG's enhanced services platform. McCarty has spent 16 years in enhanced telecommunications, most recently as vice president of operations for ClearPoint Communications Inc.
* Agent-driven Z-Tel Technologies Inc. (www.ztel.com) has announced its support for the passage of telecom reform House Bill 2900, which Illinois Governor George H. Ryan signed into law June 28. The bill codifies unbundled access into state law and opens up the state for further competition. Z-Tel has a presence in 34 states and 182 metropolitan service areas, and provides consumers bundled local and long-distance telephone services, combined with Internet-based service management. Z-Tel leverages the unbundled network element platform (UNE-P) to make Z-Line Home Edition available to more than sixty-five percent of the U.S. residential phone market.
* Universal Access Inc. (www.universalaccess.com) has launched an agent recruitment program. The company leverages a database with birds-eye views of most major suppliers' networks, and its strategically positioned interconnection facilities, to deliver end-to-end connectivity solutions to service providers worldwide. The company offers online quoting and ordering, nationwide, multi-vendor local loops, direct customer contact via client operations, a corporate training program and a design layout record (DLR) for customers.
