Trans National Communications International Inc., a privately held reseller and VoIP carrier based in Boston, will continue to pay commissions and honor agreements with its indirect sales agents during its reorganization.
The service provider filed Oct. 9 for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. bankruptcy code. In its filing, TNCI reported more than $13 million owed to its top 20 unsecured creditors, which primarily are the reseller’s underlying network providers, including Sprint, AT&T Qwest/CenturyLink and Verizon as well as numerous CLECs, including PAETEC, One Communications (now part of EarthLink Business), XO Communications and Covad (now MegaPath).
Indeed, the bankruptcy filing was made “to address outstanding carrier issues," said TNCI spokesperson Jeanne Duca in an interview Wednesday with Channel Partners.
TNCI, which was founded in 1991, relies on its indirect sales channel of approximately 250 master and direct agents for 100 percent of its sales, Duca said.
She noted that since the filing, TNCI President Brian Twomey, along with key members of the TNCI sales and management teams, have been engaged in calls with TNCI agents – both one-on-one and on an open conference call Tuesday afternoon. Duca said nearly 100 participants attended the open call wherein Twomey reviewed the basis for the filing as well as the protections afforded agents and customers during the process.
“Questions regarding commission payments and the ongoing service to customers were top on the minds of agents as one might expect," Duca said. “Several agents indicated that they intended to continue to support TNCI with future business, citing their confidence in the company based on the history of the relationship and the lengths to which TNCI has always gone to ensure the best for them and for their customers."
Bill Power, CEO of the Agent Alliance, a group of 17 telecom agents that share a contract with TNCI, said he is encouraged by conversations with TNCI management.
“We’ve been assured TNCI will continue to operate without interruption to customers and agents and that all financial commitments to the channel will be met," Power said in a prepared statement. “A workgroup of Agent Alliance shareholders, including legal counsel, is in place and will be closely following the situation to ensure that the interests of our collective subagents and customers are protected."
