Business Strategy

Insight from suppliers and partner businesses on best practices for making your business successful now and into the future during this time of channel transition.

 

i2 Signs Distributors for VoiceStick

i2Telecom International Inc. recently announced new distribution agreements, including a number of national retail chains, for its new VoiceStick device developments the company says, in part, are expected to result in a tenfold increase in revenue this year over 2004. i2Telecom says it expects to exceed $10 million in 2005; the company had less than […]

Beyond Cheap Long-Distance

Efficiency, feature-rich service offerings, increased revenue - for a carrier, VoIP’s triple-pronged value proposition is the same no matter where in the world it’s being used. But for calling-card dealers reselling cheap international termination on a prepaid basis, VoIP primarily has been a way to shave more pennies off rates. As prepaid traffic continues to grow, […]

Integrated Circuit

Posted: 03/2005 Integrated Circuit Agents, Systems Integrators Collaborate By Kelly M. Teal The era of long-distance-only sales has become a distant memory, with the trend toward convergence mandating that telecom agents redefine the term channel partners to include systems integrators. You know, those guys with all the technical expertise agents generally dont want to take […]

Oh, Margin, Where Art Thou?

Faced with pressure to boost margins and generate profits, Global Crossing Ltd. and Qwest Communications International Inc. have begun raising the rates they charge long-distance phone companies to ride their networks. The actions reverse a trend of spiraling price declines in the wholesale voice market, which had allowed big carriers like Global Crossing and Qwest […]

Internet Phone Companies Ripe for Sale?

Posted: 03/2005 Internet Phone Companies Ripe for Sale? By Josh Long As more phone and cable giants sweep into the Internet phone market, Vonage Holdings Corp. and other VoIP startups like 8×8 Inc. could face escalating pressure to sustain growth and differentiate themselves from their larger rivals. Will the Internet phone startups be a target […]

Wholesalers Lure Level 3 Hosted PBX Resellers

New Global Telecom Inc. is among the wholesale carriers seeking to pick up resale agreements with about 100 phone companies, long-distance resellers and other customers of Level 3 Communications Inc., which announced it is phasing out (3)Tone, its wholesale hosted PBX service. Resellers, including traditional phone companies like SBC Communications Inc. and others, have until […]

MCI Revamps Channel Program, Targets Solutions Providers asPartners

Posted: 03/2005 MCI Revamps Channel Program, Targets Solutions Providers as Partners By Tara Seals MCI Inc. has unveiled a retooled channel partner program, featuring a regionalized structure, deeper, more granular support for agents and valueadded resellers, and a focus on selling strategic services. The program, renamed The MCI Solution Provider Channel, now has three participation […]

Point-and-Click Provisioning

For telecom companies, the Web is an ever-evolving customer relationship tool. Simple pricing and information Web sites have given way to online price quoting and password-protected account access. The next step? Giving customers the ability to order, provision and configure personalized communications at the click of a mouse. While customer self-care via a Web portal […]

Mining LIDBs

A shift from traditional wireline services to mobility and VoIP has lessened the volume for line information database (LIDB) storage for carriers. But this old standby’s unparalleled ability to provide accurate customer information may give rise to new usage models far beyond telecom. Conceived as a way to validate collect calls, calling card calls and […]

They Say That Merging Up Is Hard To Do

“I think there is a lot of buzz in the industry right now about further consolidation.”- XO CEO Carl Grivner Driven by a frenzy of activity in the wireless industry, the megamergers reminiscent of the dotcom era have resurfaced - but the same cannot be said for competitive wireline providers. Competitors like McLeodUSA Inc. are still grappling […]

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